


The Vesper Book

by nychus



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, The Jungle Book AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:01:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 29,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22207549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nychus/pseuds/nychus
Summary: Separated from humanity as a child, Ignis is raised by havocfangs in the wilds of the Vesperpool.  Noctis is the son of the head of Meldacio, an outpost at the ends of civilization, and the only human friend Ignis has ever known. When they find each other again, Ignis tries to find the balance of being an animal of the wilds he grew up in and being the human he needs to be to stay with Noctis.A Jungle Book AU written for the IgNoct Big Bang!
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44
Collections: The Ignoct Big Bang 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My submission for the IgNoct Big Bang, a bit of a retelling of the 1994 Disney Jungle Book Movie (where Lena Headey - voice of Luna in Kingsglaive movie - plays the character Noct is based on). I do hope you enjoy as it was a lot of fun to write.
> 
> Major props and thanks to [FalchionSage](https://twitter.com/falchionsage) for such wonderful artwork which you'll see in the appropriate chapter.
> 
> Major thanks to [Meynara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meynara/pseuds/Meynara/works) for being a great beta and being sure everything made sense.
> 
> Much love to you both!!!

During the years of expansion of Lucis and the stories of great adventures to be had in the wild lands to the west, many a man set off to make their names and fortunes in exploration. Only a few could handle the extreme challenges presented, leaving most to return to Insomnia with their tails between their legs.

Colonel Regis Lucis Caelum was one of those that could handle the dangers, and he was determined to bring honor to his home. Most thought that he was being reckless, leaving for this adventure so soon after his beloved wife had died; however, others understood the need to put distance between all that she had touched. The only criticism that everyone had was that Regis had insisted that his five-year-old son, Noctis, join him. Surely a trip to the wilds was naught but a death sentence for such a young boy.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Noctis _thrived_. He loved the outdoors and all the things to see. He was always asking questions and trying to get just a little bit closer to something to see it better. He was quite the handful and it took all eyes to make sure he wasn’t off getting into trouble.

When they reached Meldacio, a small town on the farthest reaches of civilization, Regis hired a local to take them into the wilds. This man, Stupeo Scientia, also had a young charge that was eager to learn what the world had to hide. His nephew, Ignis, had recently lost his own parents when a wildfire swept through the drier regions to the south. Many villages were destroyed and many lives lost. Ignis and Noctis easily bonded over their mutual love for the wild and the heartache that was losing a parent.

The two boys were inseparable and as Ignis had a keen eye and a sense of duty to keep Noctis safe, the adults were free to attend to their own chores. Noctis adored Ignis, looking up to him as if he knew all things and could do no wrong. Ignis was only a year and a half older, but Noctis viewed him with more respect than any of the adults (except his father). Ignis, in turn, loved Noctis. He loved how curious the younger boy was and loved answering his questions and creating stories to share. Stupeo told Ignis a lot of the local lore and Ignis passed it to Noctis with grandeur.

Most of the men that came with Regis’s group did not believe the stories and one day Ignis heard them discussing potential marks and told them, “If you hunt, Ardyn will come find you. He is the protector of the forest.” They just laughed.

Late one evening, when the boys were supposed to be asleep, Noctis snuck into Ignis’s tent.

“What’s wrong?” Ignis asked, sitting up.

“Can’t sleep,” was the answer as Noctis joined Ignis on his cot. He then pulled out something long and silver from his pocket. “Look.”

He handed it over to Ignis, who took it gingerly. It was a necklace that held a silver skull pendant. Ignis knew that the skull was part of the Lucis Caelum family crest and figured this was some sort of family heirloom.

“It’s beautiful,” Ignis said, watching as the skull spun slowly in the lantern light.

“It was my mom’s,” Noctis said. “She gave it to me before she left and said I should give it to someone I care about.”

“That’s a lovely thought,” Ignis smiled, handing the necklace back. He was surprised when he heard Noctis giggle.

“It’s for you, silly!”

“Noct, I can’t!” Ignis tried to protest, but Noctis wasn’t having any of it. He stood so that he was the same height of a sitting Ignis and placed the necklace over his head. The chain was long enough that it slipped on easily. When Noctis stepped back to look at his work, Ignis couldn’t voice the words needed to go against the satisfied look on his friend’s face.

They grinned at each other. And then they laughed. And then screams ripped through the otherwise quiet evening, scaring the boys. Afraid, but curious, Ignis and Noctis cautiously opened up the tent flap to see what was going on in their camp. 

It was utter chaos. Men were scrambling, fires were spreading, and a large beast came running through the middle.

“Ardyn,” Ignis whispered in terrified awe as they watched the behemoth move to destroy all that was in the camp. He felt Noctis’s hands gripped his tightly and he was about to pull them back into the tent when he saw his uncle trying to get Ardyn’s attention. It was clear that Stupeo’s plan was to pull the beast away from the camp, but he hadn’t accounted for the speed the behemoth had. Ignis watched in horror as Ardyn hit his uncle, sending the man flying. With a yell, Ignis shot out of the tent, desperate to get to the only family that he had.

He hadn’t realized that Noctis had followed.

He didn’t realize it until Ardyn had turned towards him, charging at Ignis like he had his uncle. Ardyn’s head was bent, ready to skewer the seven-year-old when Ignis was suddenly pushed out of the way. He hit a post that had terrified chocobos tied to it. The post was knocked free and Ignis was caught up in the lead that held one of the birds. The bird went running in panic, dragging Ignis along with it. In a desperate attempt to get free, Ignis looked back for help only to see Noctis laying in a pool of blood.

With that last look at the camp, Ignis was dragged into the night by a frightened chocobo, with the presumed deaths of his uncle and best friend burned forever in his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Cor sat on the branch of one of the taller trees in the area, watching the chaos before him. He daren’t get close enough to the human camp to be seen by them, but he could hear the screams echoing across the jungle.

He’d seen the carcass of the basilisk and knew Ardyn would come. Ardyn always came whenever man entered the forest and killed its inhabitants. Cor wasn’t fond of the behemoth, but he couldn’t be angry at the results he achieved. Cor knew from the rumors of passing birds that their home in the Vesperpool was one of the last places that man would come, if only because Ardyn kept such a close eye on it.

As the screams began to die down, Cor was ready to continue his hunt. There was a squawk of a chocobo that piqued his interest; the giant birds weren’t common in the Vesperpool and he figured it had gotten free from the human camp. Thinking he was going to get a tasty meal that evening, Cor dropped down to the forest floor and quietly headed in the direction of the frightened bird.

Despite their size, coeurls were surprisingly stealthy and Cor was no exception. He calculated the bird’s path and pounced on it as soon as it was close enough. He should have been happy for a job well done, but he realized that the chocobo was not alone. The chocobo took Cor’s surprise as a chance to get away and so his dinner dashed into the undergrowth, leaving the coeurl staring at a man-cub.

The cub was battered and bruised, injured from being dragged from the camp by a runaway bird. He stared at Cor with big, tear-filled eyes as if begging for Cor to kill him, end him. Cor should have, he knew. One less man in the world would be a good thing, but something about this cub stilled his paw. Perhaps because he already looked so beaten. Perhaps because he knew that this cub was no threat. There was something about the cub that told Cor he had nowhere else to go, as if he was the only one left in his world.

So, instead of killing the cub like any self-respecting coeurl would do, Cor gave him a little headbutt and urged the cub to crawl onto his back. It took some time, communication between man and animal was difficult, but eventually the cub was laid out across Cor’s back so that Cor could take him further into the wilds.

Cor walked for a little while, hearing nothing much more than the sniffles of the cub on his back. He was headed towards a pack of havocfangs; Clarus was a good leader and he might be able to convince the old wolf to take the cub in.

“No,” Clarus barked. “Kill it. Put it out of its—and our—misery.”

“It’s but a cub,” Cor pointed out. “What harm could he bring?”

“It can bring the men. Men who would come looking for it and blame us for its disappearance. No.”

Cor glared at the havocfang and twitched his tail. Behind him the man-cub sat, still sniffling. Cor wondered if he understood what was going on, at least in some sense. Probably not. He was about to argue some more when there was some rustling in the brush behind him. Clarus stood up, watching intently. Cor did the same, ready to defend himself if needed, but he was surprised when a pup burst through the leaves at full speed.

“Gladiolus, what are you…”

“Dad, Nyx is hurt!”

“What?”

Gladiolus was bouncing on his paws anxiously. The pup seemed caught between wanting to run back and staying with his father. Cor could understand why. Gladiolus was too young to go out on patrol and he must have snuck off.

“I’m fine,” came a tired voice. It wasn’t directed towards the opening that Cor and the others currently sat in, but to whoever was walking with the voice. Cor didn’t need to see that Nyx was being walked with his two best friends, Crowe and Libertus, because those three always went everywhere together.

“You are not fine,” Libertus said.

“You can barely stand on your own feet,” Crowe added as they came through the same area Gladiolus had.

“Only because you two keep trying to push me.”

“To keep you on your feet,” Crowe glared. They all watched as Nyx rolled his eyes before collapsing to the ground. His injury wasn’t hard to miss. A stinger was sticking out of his back leg. They must have had a run in with one of the giant wasps.

“What happened, Crowe?” Clarus asked as he looked Nyx over.

“The forest is on edge with Ardyn running about,” she said. “We startled some wasps and one of them tagged Nyx before we could get away. Lib and I both tried to pull out the stinger, but it broke off in our teeth and we couldn’t actually remove it.”

“Gladio tried as well,” Libertus put in, “but he doesn’t quite have the strength yet.”

“I’m fine,” Nyx repeated. “What’s Whiskers doing here?”

Cor bristled at the nickname and was about to tell him he was no longer going to try to help, but everyone was startled by the movement of the man-cub.

They all watched as the cub stood and shuffled over to where Nyx had laid down. When the cub sat down next to Nyx and looked at the stinger, Cor had to give off a low growl to keep Crowe from lunging in for the kill. Normally, Cor wouldn’t care, but there was something about the movements of the cub that made him want to see what happened.

The cub put a hand on Nyx’s flank. Nyx flinched and whined because of the pain and once again Cor had to step between the cub and the rest of the havocfangs. They all watched as the cub said something clearly meant to be calming, even if they couldn’t understand it, and then he yanked the stinger out. Nyx yelped at the sudden pain but he did not snap at the cub. The cub then took off the ripped cloth he had around his upper body and placed it over the wound, stopping the blood.

The cub had done all of this without prompting. He saw Nyx was in pain and he decided to help. Nyx leaned up to give the cub a lick on his cheek in thanks. Cor looked back to Clarus with a grin. The elder havocfang glared back and said “Fine, but just for tonight.”

Nyx was in no condition to move for a little while, so they sat in the clearing and waited until he truly felt fine. The man-cub moved back to where he had initially been sitting and seemed to be awaiting his fate.

“What’s with the man-cub?” Libertus asked.

“He’s lost and alone. He’s broken. He needs a good family,” Cor explained.

“Can we keep him?!” Gladio asked, looking up at his father.

“No. We will shelter him for the night and then he must leave,” Clarus said.

“But he helped Nyx!”

“I said no, Gladiolus. And don’t think you won’t be punished for leaving the den. Your mother must be worried sick.”

Gladio dropped to the ground and pouted. He tried on several occasions to shuffle closer to the cub, but Clarus kept a sharp eye on him. More than once Cor snickered, earning him the glare of his friend.

When Nyx felt like he was rested enough to move back towards the den, the group stood, stretched, and start heading out. Nyx went to the cub and nudged him with his nose, easing the child up to his feet so that he could follow the group.

Cor walked with them until they reached the havocfang den before bidding farewell and disappearing into the night.

Lily, Clarus’s mate, met them outside the den entrance. She nuzzled her mate and scolded her son, giving him a swift kick to get into the den. She then turned her eyes to where Nyx was sitting with the man-cub.

“Clarus…” she started.

“I know,” he sighed. “Cor seems to think he’s a good man because he’s just a cub. He did help pull a wasp stinger out of Nyx. I agreed to keep him for the night.”

Lily moved towards the cub and watched as he stepped back. Nyx tried to reassure him that Lily meant no harm, but the cub understood nothing. After looking the child over, she started licking at his dirty skin, trying to clean off what she could. “Poor dear,” she said as she helped Nyx gently ease the cub into their den and get him settled for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Ignis had no idea what was going on. He knew he should be dead. Dead by behemoth. Dead by runaway chocobo. Dead by coeurl. Dead by havocfang. Instead, he lived. He lived and now he found himself nestled in between several havocfangs, with the one he pulled the stinger out of wrapped around him protectively. The animal had been hurt and even though Ignis was terrified, he couldn’t stand the thought of letting the animal remain so. Everyone seemed pleased with his actions, even if he had no idea how long that would last.

His uncle had told him that the animals of the Vesperpool were intelligent and wise. He had thought that was just part of the lore, but the actions of the coeurl and the havocfangs indicated it was the truth.

Ignis remained terrified of a painful death, though.

Something flashed in the side of his vision and he turned towards the entrance to the den. What looked like a little blue fox was standing there. It was bouncing up and down and Ignis realized the flash he saw was sunlight glinting off a red jewel on the animal’s forehead.

Curious, Ignis gently untangled himself from all of the havocfangs and moved towards the creature.

“You’re a forest guardian,” Ignis whispered upon reaching the little animal. Another of the legends his uncle had told him. The Vesperpool was protected by magical beings as well as the behemoth Ardyn. The animal chirped and then jumped on Ignis’s arm so that it could climb to his shoulder and around the back of his neck. Once it was wrapped around Ignis like a scarf, the little animal touched Ignis’s forehead with the red jewel. There was a flash of light that caused Ignis to shut his eyes tightly and when he opened them again, the little creature was gone.

Ignis turned this way and that, looking for the animal, but it was nowhere to be seen.

What was that?” a voice came from inside the den and Ignis whipped his head around, looking for whoever had spoken.

“Carbuncle is playing tricks again,” another voice answered. “Go back to sleep.”

A third voice asked, “Where’s the man-cub?”

And that question roused the entire den. Every single member of the havocfang pack stood and looked towards Ignis at the entrance. There seemed to be a mutter of annoyance as several of the pack laid back down, but Ignis watched as the big havocfang from the night before—the one he assumed was the leader—stepped towards him. With him was the havocfang he had helped.

“Come on, Clarus, he’s just a cub,” the smaller one was saying.

“He is still a man and we cannot have a man here! We sheltered him for one night, but he must be on his way. Honestly, it would be kinder to just kill him.”

“Please don’t,” Ignis found himself saying. The two animals stopped and looked at him. “I don’t…I don’t want to die.”

“Excuse me?” the leader, Clarus, asked.

“Please don’t kill me,” Ignis said.

“You can understand us?” the smaller one asked, a toothy grin on his face. Ignis nodded. “Since when? You totally didn’t understand me last night!”

“Nyx, don’t encourage—”

“There was a little guardian here. He touched me with his red jewel and disappeared. That’s when I could hear you talking,” Ignis said.

Clarus was speechless, but Nyx let out a laugh. “Carbuncle blessed you! Clarus, Carbuncle has blessed him!”

“Does that mean we get to keep him?” a new voice came and Ignis saw the pup from the night before bound over to them. “Dad? We get to keep him, right? Carbuncle says he’s good!”

There was an icy silence that Ignis felt might mean Clarus would say no. However, the leader turned with a huff. “Fine, but he’s your responsibility.”

“Yeah! I’m Gladio!” the pup greeted, bouncing around Ignis.

“Ignis,” he replied, dropping to the ground, confused and overwhelmed by everything. “I’m Ignis.”

“And I’m Nyx. Thanks for last night, I’m not sure how long I would have had that stinger in me if you hadn’t pulled it out,” Nyx said. “Don’t mind Clarus. He’ll warm up to you. He’s just got to be cautious because he has the pack to think about.”

Ignis nodded dumbly.

There was a sharp bark from inside the den and Ignis looked over to see all of the havocfangs were gathered in a semi-circle around Clarus. Clarus sat atop a rock, slightly elevated from the rest.

“Come on,” Nyx said, nudging at Ignis as they followed Gladio into the den.

All eyes were on Ignis. Most just looked curious, but there were certainly a few that looked wary. Ignis had no idea what to expect and stopped whenever Nyx stopped.

“Up here, man-cub,” Clarus said and so Ignis scrambled on the rock with the pack leader. Now everyone looked curious, wondering how it was Clarus could command the child. The most scrutinizing look, however, came from Clarus. “Name?”

“Ignis, sir.”

There were a few mumbles in the crowd.

“How did you come by our pack?”

“The coeurl brought me.”

“Cor, yes, but before that.”

“Oh, pardon. Some hunters were overstepping the laws of the wood. Ardyn came to punish them. All of us, I suppose. Uncle said he didn’t like humans.”

“You know of Ardyn?” Clarus asked. “I was unaware that his name had made it to man.”

“My Uncle told me stories, but I don’t know where he heard them. Ardyn attacked our camp and in the chaos, I got wrapped up in a chocobo lead. The chocobo ran into the forest and the coeurl stopped it. I think I confused the coeurl and caused him to lose his dinner.”

Surprisingly, that remark got a chuckle out of Clarus. “Cor will find more prey to eat. Did Ardyn leave anything of your camp?”

“No,” Ignis answered. “At least, nothing that I care about. My uncle and my only friend were victims of the behemoth’s horns. I have nothing in this world.” The realization dropped onto Ignis like a bucket of cold water. Everything he had ever loved has been taken from him in the last few months. First his parents and now his Uncle and Noctis.

“You have us,” one of the wolves said. A she-wolf that was sitting closest to Clarus and who Gladio had run to; Ignis assumed this was Gladio’s mother. “We will look after you and protect you.”

“I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Nonsense,” Nyx laughed. “Carbuncle blessed you. He is our guardian and if he trusts you, we do too.”

There were many cheers that ran through the den, even from those that had initially seemed apprehensive. Clarus looked as if he might want to discourage it, but instead he welcomed Ignis into their pack as an honorary havocfang.

~*~*~*~*~

Gladio was the only surviving pup from his litter, which was probably why Lily was insistent on keeping Ignis around. She had felt a deep sense of loss from Gladio’s siblings and wished for Gladio to have a friend and playmate.

It also meant that Ignis and Gladio could learn about the ways of the Vesperpool together. Gladio had some knowledge, of course, having grown up there, but there was still a lot to learn. Cor was Gladio’s usual teacher and he wasted no time in pulling Ignis in as well. Later that first day he showed up and pulled the two away from the pack.

“Carbuncle blessed you?” Cor asked as they walked through the woods. “I wonder what the little trickster is playing at.”

“How do you mean?” Ignis asked.

“The forest guardians usually have some plan or another when they do things. Perhaps he has great plans for you,” Cor mused. Ignis wasn’t sure he liked the idea.

They walked for some time, stopping occasionally for Cor to point out one thing or another. A plant to avoid because of its poison or bark to gnaw on for pain relief. Both pupils listened intently and did their best to remember the knowledge they were taught.

There was a lull in conversation when they heard a distressed squawk. Cor and Gladio both perked up their ears and waited for another noise before heading in the direction. Ignis followed as close behind as he could, but he had the disadvantage of having the need to protect his face from flying branches.

The squawking grew louder and then distressed turned into panic before Ignis reached the source. It was a chickatrice with its foot caught in some vine. Unable to move, it started calling for help. However, seeing a coeurl and a havocfang suddenly appear would cause anyone panic. Seeing Ignis caused even more distress.

“Don’t eat me! Don’t eat me! Or make it fast. Please, just let me go quickly!” he cried, flapping his little wings.

Gladio and Cor both looked a little confused, but Ignis went straight to the bird’s problem. Carefully, he unwrapped the vines tangled around the chickatrice’s foot, freeing him.

“Are you alright?” Ignis asked the stunned animal. The response was a blink and so Ignis tried something else. “Where is your mother? Can we take you back to her?”

“I…the…man killed her,” the chickatrice said quietly.

“Oh,” was all Ignis could think to say.

“It was her death that set off Ardyn’s rage,” Cor said solemnly.

“Think Dad will let me have another brother?” Gladio asked Cor conspiratorially. The coeurl rolled his eyes and turned back towards the den. Gladio took that as a good sign. “I’m Gladio!”

“Pr…Pr…Prompto.”

“Nice to meet you, Prompto. I am Ignis.”

“How can you understand me?” Prompto asked falling into step with the little group.

“It’s a long story,” Ignis said and he gave his new friend a rundown of what had happened. He’d just finished when they reached the den. Cor had gone ahead and was already in an argument with Clarus.

“WE ARE A HAVOCFANG PACK!” he screamed to a bored looking Cor. Ignis couldn’t help but wonder how often they fought and how serious those fights were.

Next to him, Prompto fluffed his feathers in distress and Gladio sat on the other side.

They watched the argument for several moments before havocfang leader and coeurl went their separate ways with neither coming over to the children.

“What does that mean?” Ignis asked Gladio quietly. The pup had no idea. Unsure, the three sat there and waited. Neither Gladio or Ignis were willing to leave Prompto’s side until they knew something for certain.

“Look at this, you two run off with Whiskers and come back with a pillow!” Nyx laughed as he and the two havocfangs from the night before trotted up to them. “You’re sleeping next to me, Feathers.”

Prompto made a high-pitched squeak and scuttled behind Gladio and Ignis.

The she-wolf rolled her eyes. “Ignore him. Nyx lives to cause trouble. I’m Crowe.”

“Prompto.” His voice was so small that Ignis was sure he was still expecting to be eaten. Not that Ignis hadn’t thought the same thing until this morning when Carbuncle showed up.

“Does this mean he can stay?” Gladio asked.

“Your mom is pretty persuasive, kiddo,” the third havocfang smiled. “I’m Libertus.”

“Come on, Prom, I’ll show you around!” Gladio said, hopping to his feet and running towards the den. “The three of us will need to work out where to sleep, away from all adults.”

“Hey! I resemble that remark!” Nyx yelled after them, causing the three to laugh.

It was odd, Ignis thought. Yesterday, everything was right with the world. Then the world came crumbling down around him (again) only to find it had once again righted itself the following day. It was strange to think that things had worked out so easily for him. He would still grieve the loss of his parents, his uncle, and Noctis. He would miss them all dearly. But there was so much the forest had to offer and so much he could offer it, that it was difficult to succumb to the grief.


	4. Chapter 4

The wilds around the Vesperpool had grown accustomed to seeing the strange pack of havocfangs. Usually, with the man-cub (though one could hardly call him a cub anymore), a cockatrice, and a havocfang that was sporting a scar across his left eye, all moving about on their own. When it was just the three, a coeurl often followed them to be sure they stayed out of trouble.

There were times, however, when some or most of the pack would prowl around together, looking for food and warding off bigger animals. They did their best to keep man from coming too far into the wilds. Clarus felt it was their duty as the pack closest to man settlements to keep them as far away as possible. His father and his father’s father had done the same. It helped having two oddities in their pack. If man came too close, they would be focused on the havocfangs allowing Ignis and Prompto to come in to scare them away. It was a well worked out system.

One day, the pack had stopped for a midday nap after doing their morning patrol. It was the height of the dry season and the heat was bearing down on them. Ignis was sleeping on a tree branch, much like Cor did, and below him were Prompto, Gladio, and about half of their pack.

It had been some fifteen years since Ignis had joined the pack. He wasn’t aware of how long it had been, but he had grown out of what clothing he entered the woods with eons ago. Prompto had grown into a cockatrice with the most beautiful plumage. Gladio was all set to become the next pack leader. He had a large scar on his face from protecting his younger sister, Iris, from a pack of sahagins that got too close. He was every bit as proud and regal as Clarus, and the old leader was happy to call Gladio his son.

As they slept, they were unaware of the daggerquills flying nearby. One saw something glinting around Ignis’s neck and carefully flew in to investigate. Upon seeing what could only be treasure, it carefully dipped its head in to grab the little pendant and pulled back hard enough to snap the chain.

The bird was instantly regretful of his action as Ignis was quick and darted his hand out to snatch at the daggerquill’s tail feathers. The daggerquill squawked and a second one dove in to flap its wings in Ignis’s face, causing the man to let go. Both birds then took off with Ignis fast behind them.

“Ignis, wait!” he heard Prompto yell as he darted off into the woods. He couldn’t wait, if he lost sight of the daggerquills, he’d lose his only treasure. A treasure given to him by a friend long ago before he became part of the pack. No, he couldn’t let it get away.

He chased the birds through the trees, not paying attention to where he was going; not realizing he was headed out of the pack territory. Ignis was focused on one thing and nothing else mattered.

He only stopped whenever he came into a clearing that held old ruins and a lot of daggerquills. He watched as the two he had followed landed on one of the upper buildings where a regal griffon sat. The griffon took the pendant in her talons and smiled.

“This is magnificent,” the griffon said. “A fine piece to add to our collection.”

“Thought you’d like it,” one of the birds said. “Took it from the man-cub we did.”

The griffon laughed and set her sights on Ignis. “So you did.”

“Give it back!” Ignis called.

“No.”

“I said, GIVE IT BACK!”

There was some mock thinking on the griffon’s face. “No, I think I’ll keep it. Biggs, Wedge, let’s go down and add it to the collection.”

“Right!”

“Coming, Lady A!”

“Hey!” Ignis yelled but the griffon paid him no mind and disappeared into the ruins. Huffing, Ignis headed over, ignoring the jeers of the daggerquills watching him. He had to get his necklace back. Nothing was going to stop him. Not even the roar of Cor behind him, telling him to come back.

The ruins were a maze with very few access points to the outer world. Fortunately, Ignis had long since adapted to tracking under the tutelage of the pack and it was easy to find where the griffon had disappeared. He slipped in after her, landing in a large, empty room. A strange blue glow surrounded him, allowing him to see in what should have been near darkness.

The laughter of the griffon echoed across the walls and the awed stupor that had fallen upon seeing the ruins was gone. He had to get his necklace back.

The echoing of the chambers should have made it difficult for Ignis to follow, but the daggerquill watching him made it easy. They were leading the way to the center of the ruins and Ignis wasn’t fool enough to think it wasn’t a trap. He was on his guard. Every sense was on edge, waiting for an attack. Nothing came until he got to the center where there were rows upon rows of treasures that had been built up. It was something to behold. Even Ignis, who had no need for such things, couldn’t help but gape at it.

There was no sign of the griffon, but the daggerquills were beginning to gather around the ledges and upper shelves of the room. They were waiting for something. This was the trap, Ignis was sure. There were a few decayed skeletons scattered about and Ignis hoped he wouldn’t join their ranks.

“So, you’ve followed me in to retrieve your jewel. How wonderful,” the griffon smiled. She walked in and settled herself on the only empty perch; this must be a normal game for them.

“Give it back,” Ignis growled.

“I’ve heard stories of a man pretending to be an animal, but I never dreamed they were true,” the griffon ignored Ignis completely. “A man who runs with a pack of havocfangs. Heh.”

Ignis stood straight and held out his hand, “My necklace.”

“Your necklace for some fire.”

“What? I can’t give you fire.”

“All men can make fire,” the griffon snapped.

“I can’t. Give me my necklace!” Ignis was growing tired of the griffon’s taunting. He glanced around and found a jewel that had some heft to it. Quickly, he picked it up and threw it as hard as he could at the animal. It missed her, but just barely, and she shouted out most unregally before yelling, “CALIGO!”

Caligo was not a word that Ignis had heard before, but he knew whatever it was wasn’t good. The daggerquills were all calling excitedly, bouncing up and down on their perches. Caligo was likely what had killed those men before him. Looking around, Ignis could see nothing out of the ordinary but he spotted something that reminded him of a havocfang claw and grabbed it. His eyes darted every which way, but failed to dart in the one direction they needed to.

Up.

A massive beast descended from the rafters of the room with a surprising amount of silence. The bird noises helped cover some of it, but there was still enough stealth within the creature that Ignis wasn’t aware of it until a massive tail knocked him hard against the pile of gold. His breath was gone from his lungs and he stared in horror as the animal bared down on him.

“Do you like my pet Quetzalcoatl?” the griffon asked in the same manner that Prompto would ask if he liked a particular flower the bird had plucked. “He gets to sit among all of these riches and dispose of whoever tries to take it.”

Ignis rolled out of the way before the quetzal could attack, only infuriating the animal more. The two began to circle around each other in a standoff that felt skewed largely towards one side. Ignis was tiny compared to the quetzal and he knew that he would have to think fast if he were to defeat the beast. Ignis managed to dodge out of the way every time the quetzal lunged, but his energy was fading fast. So fast that all it took was one little misstep and Caligo had Ignis in his claws, pulling him up to greet a toothy maw.

To say that Ignis was struggling for his life was an understatement. He would never have thought he could get his energy back so quickly, but struggle he did. Eventually, he managed to wiggle the arm holding the weapon free and he used all of what remained of his strength to slice across Caligo’s face.

The quetzal yowled, dropping Ignis several feet onto the hard piles of treasure, and darted off into the darkness from which he came.

For a long time, Ignis lay there, staring up at the stone ceiling as he tried to catch his breath. He was completely unaware of the ruckus the birds were creating around him until the one that had taken his necklace was suddenly on his chest, offering the jewelry back. It was as if the sound suddenly came screaming back into his reality as soon has Ignis gripped the silver chain. All at once, the calls and cheers of the daggerquills penetrated his brain and he flinched at the noise.

He sat up to look for the griffon, but she was gone from her perch. He then looked around at all the treasure gathered and decided the ruins could keep them. He had his necklace and he decided to keep the knife that helped him defeat the quetzal as a prize, but otherwise, he left the rest where it lay.

~*~*~*~*~

The sun was well on its way behind the trees by the time Ignis managed to crawl out of the ruins. As he stumbled over various fallen columns, he realized that the place was much bigger than he had seen. A part of him wondered what other secrets the ruins held, but he mostly just wanted to get home.

He slowly made his way over to where the others were. Gladio was pacing, Prompto was nervously fidgeting, and Cor sat there with just the tip of his tail tapping the ground. Those coeurl eyes narrowed dangerously when they saw Ignis.

“IGGY!” Prompto squawked, jumping to his feet and fluttering around the tired man. “Are you okay? What happened?!”

“You look like you’ve been through the ringer,” Gladio observed, obviously noticing the bruises that were beginning to form and the cuts that hadn’t quite stopped bleeding.

Cor just cuffed him upside the head.

“OW!” Ignis yelped.

“Dude, Cor, why!?” Prompto asked, still fluttering about.

“You’re lucky that’s all you’ll get from me. Clarus will rip you a new one,” Cor said. “I can’t believe you’d run into Aranea’s territory like that. Even I’m wary of what she could do to me!”

“They took my necklace,” Ignis explained feebly. He was too tired to argue about it. He just wanted to sleep.

Cor sighed. The caring side of the coeurl came out, the one that tended to once he knew everyone was safe from harm. “Come, then. Let’s get you back to the den.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Ignis leaned against Prompto for support now that the adrenaline was almost fully out of his body and he was fading fast.

“Man-cub!”

The cry came from above them and all four stopped to look up and watch as the griffon, Aranea, joined them on the ground. They all eyed her suspiciously.

“I gotta say, never seen anyone hurt Caligo like that,” she said. “Pretty impressive for a human without tooth or claw.”

“Thank you.” It was all Ignis could think to say.

“Look, I know you havocfangs do well at keeping man out of the wilds and the rest of the Vesperpool appreciates it. If you need anything, just tell one of the daggerquills and they’ll come get me. You are something else, man-cub. Every other human that’s walked into my home has had every intent on taking what lies within. You have my respect.”

“Thank you,” Ignis said again, this time with meaning behind it and a smile. “Just, don’t take my things again.”

“Noted,” Aranea laughed before pushing from the ground and back into the sky. They watched until she disappeared from view behind the fallen buildings and turned towards home.

Clarus was furious. He yelled himself hoarse at how reckless Ignis was for running straight into the claws of the griffon. Ignis was assigned to patrol the border between the wilds and man. As man had come around less and less in the years that Ignis and Prompto had helped scare them away, it was the worst of the patrol jobs. He wasn’t even allowed to have Gladio or Prompto with him. Instead, he got a few of the younger members still wet behind the ears and prone to drive any adult mad.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a beautiful day in Meldacio and even better nearer the wilds. The heat of the dry season was slowly giving way to the wet season and so the weather was cooler and the breezes a little stronger.

Because of the good luck in weather, Noctis found himself on the outskirts of the Vesperpool with several others around his age. They were following Ravus, the current physician of the outpost and resident know-it-all.

Actually, it was nice having Ravus around. He could come off as a pompous ass, but he knew his stuff. He tended to be annoyed with Noctis just on principle, although he definitely warmed up to him once it was realized that Noctis had no interest in Lunafreya, Ravus’s younger sister.

Noctis and Luna were walking at the end of the group, mostly because Luna would be considered second-in-command on this outing and she needed to be sure that no one strayed off. That said, neither Luna nor Noctis had more than a casual acquaintanceship with any of the other young men and women with them.

The pair were talking and laughing as they followed along until Ravus brought them to a halt.

“This is the very edge of civilization,” Ravus said in the bored voice he usually carried. He pointed towards an old, wooden bridge just down the ravine from where they stood. “That bridge is what takes you into the wilds and the wilds is no place for humans.”

“That’s where Ardyn is,” one of the others said and Noctis stiffened at the name.

“The behemoth hasn’t been seen in this area in many, many years and so long as we stay on our side of the bridge, it will stay that way.” Ravus glanced towards Noctis and Noctis knew it was because he wanted to see his reaction to the mention of the beast. Ravus always worried about a bad reaction.

Noctis was much better about mentions of Ardyn and had been for quite some time. He may have only been five when the attack happened, but he could remember the pain. It took him years to recover, even with the help of Ravus’s and Luna’s mother. Everyone was sure that he wouldn’t make it. Then they were sure he would never walk again. Now Noctis showed little outward sign of having his back ripped open. It tended to only manifest during the rainy season as the air pressure fluctuated. As nice as the cooler weather was, Noctis never looked forward to the stiffness and aches that came with the change of season. He knew he had but a few weeks before he’d start feeling it in earnest.

“Now, just because we stay out of the wilds, doesn’t mean that we can’t see the beauty that it possesses.”

The lesson had now begun and everyone around Noctis and Luna were pulling out notebooks to make notes on what Ravus was saying. He pointed out different birds and asked for their names. He showed them different flowers and leaves that grew near the little ravine that held medicinal properties.

It was all stuff both Luna and Noctis already knew and so they ignored the lesson.

“Wanna cross over into the wilds?” Noctis asked, mischievous grin on his face.

For a second, Luna looked ready to go, but then she frowned. “I’d better not. Mother has been on me for sneaking out into the bazaar at night. Ravus would tell her I’m sure and I’d rather not face her wrath. Bring me back something?”

With a nod and a laugh, Noctis glanced to where Ravus was lecturing before ducking down behind some bushes and sneaking towards the bridge.

The bridge was old and rickety, but it was still in fairly good shape. Noctis knew that a lot of the glaive tended to go into the wilds to look for various ingredients for Sylva and Ravus for their medicines and herbs for Luna’s poultices and teas.

He slipped across the bridge without being noticed and officially stepped into the wilds of the Vesperpool for the first time since the attack from Ardyn. He was definitely a little nervous, but he knew that the well-worn path and the proximity to civilization were on his side.

As he walked along the path, he spotted some bright blue flowers that reminded him of the sylleblossoms that Luna often spoke of. He picked a few for her before continuing down towards a little pool. There he stopped and listened. The animals of the Vesperpool were singing their happy songs and the world seemed a peace. Noctis shut his eyes and breathed in the cool, wild air and centered himself.

 _This was a good idea_ , he thought to himself.

Then he opened his eyes and found himself face to face with a man.

“AH!” Noctis shouted, dropping the flowers and stepping back in shock. “Don’t do that! How did you get there without me hearing you?”

The man said nothing. He just cocked his head from side to side as if studying Noctis.

“Can…can you understand me?” Noctis asked. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised that that got no reaction from the man. He looked wild. Like the wilds themselves manifested into a man. The piercing stare was unnerving. “Yeah, okay, I’m gonna go…”

Noctis slowly started backing away, afraid to take his eyes off the man should an attack come. He only got a few steps before the man darted towards him and grabbed his arm to keep him still. Before Noctis could blink, both hands were on his face, staring into his eyes. Searching for something?

He didn’t know and he really didn’t care. He just wanted to get away. He got the chance when a cockatrice came out of the undergrowth. The other man looked towards the animal and that was Noctis’s chance to break free of his grasp. He put a few steps between himself and the man. Even though he wasn’t fond of this man, he still tried to convince him to back away from the cockatrice. “We should go. That thing might decide to eat us.”

Much to his surprise, the man looked between him and the cockatrice before turning towards the animal and raising his hands, but whether in defense or offense, Noctis didn’t know. He decided he didn’t want to see the outcome and so he turned tail and ran.

He followed the path back towards the bridge, but wasn’t really paying attention to where he was going, looking back occasionally to see if either the man or the cockatrice followed. As such, he was quite surprised to run into something very solid in the middle of the path.

“Oof!”

“Noctis! What on Eos are you doing in the wilds?”

“Drautos,” Noctis greeted, somewhat sheepish and somewhat in relief.

Titus Drautos was the captain of his father’s guard. When he was younger, Noctis used to follow the soldier around and imitate him, claiming he too would be a great soldier. Drautos took him under his wing and started teaching Noctis how to defend himself and helped him find a workout routine that would help with the stiffness in his back.

Somewhere along the line, Drautos’s affections turned from that of older brother to something a bit more romantic. Noctis wasn’t sure what to think about that. Part of him was proud to have earned the affections of such a high-ranking officer. The other part was a bit weirded out by it. This man was twenty years his senior and like a big brother. Noctis tried to flit around the affections shown, but not outright deny them. After all, once it became apparent that his partner preference was male, Regis subtly encouraged the relationship. No doubt a father wanting his son to be well cared for in all aspects after his death.

A protective arm went around Noctis’s waist and pulled him close. “Has Lunafreya been sending you off on dares again?”

“Hardly,” Noctis laughed. “This was purely my idea.”

“Well, I should be angry you would dare cross over the bridge…”

“But?”

“But how can I be upset to see my favorite young man in such a beautiful place as this?” Drautos grinned.

He was certainly a charmer and sometimes Noctis could fall into those charms. He could fall out just as easily though. As Drautos leaned close to his face, Noctis did a quick maneuver to get out of his grip.

“One of these days I am going to capture those perfect lips of yours,” Drautos promised, grinning and thankfully not mad. By now he was used to Noctis pulling away, but he persevered because Noctis had not specifically told him not to.

“Perhaps, if you’re lucky,” Noctis teased, and truthfully, he wasn’t sure where he fell on that line.

“Come, let us get back to civilization, and if anyone asks, I was the one that brought you out here,” Drautos said, once again wrapped an arm around Noctis to pull him close so that they could walk back out together.

Drautos had barely gotten his arm around Noctis when the wild man was suddenly between them, pushing Noctis far from Drautos.

“What the hell?!” Drautos exclaimed as the man pushed at him. “Get out of here!”

Noctis wasn’t sure if Drautos was talking to him or the man, but neither moved. When Drautos tried to step around the man, he kept getting blocked. The man was making sure to stay between the two. It suddenly dawned on Noctis what was going on.

“I think he’s protecting me,” Noctis said, more to himself than anything, but Drautos had heard.

“Protecting you? From what? Me? Don’t be ridiculous!” Then to the man, Drautos said, “Listen here, savage, either you move or I will make you move.”

The man did not move. Maybe he didn’t understand the words, which Noctis thought was most likely, but he also kind of doubted the man would have moved anyway. He didn’t even glance back towards Noctis until footsteps sounded on the fallen leaves of the forest and two men rounded the corner.

“What is going on, sir?” one of the men, Luche, asked. Luche was Drautos’s second in command. With him was Axis.

“Luche, get Noctis out of here. Axis stay and help me with this savage,” Drautos commanded.

Before either man could agree, the wild man froze briefly and then turned to look at Noctis. The look wasn’t something that Noctis could place. Confusion? Recognition? Noctis wasn’t sure, but whatever it was caused the man to let his defenses down long enough that Drautos could easily get a hit in. A blade was pulled and Drautos went to swipe. The man’s reflexes were thankfully swift enough to dodge most of the blade, but contact was still made. Wounded, the man took off into the jungle, leaving the other four confused.

“Should we go after him, sir?” Axis asked, watching the area the man had disappeared.

“Leave it,” Drautos said. “That must be the savage the locals talk about. The one that can talk to the animals. If he can get his friends, then we’re in for a fight we aren’t prepared for. For now, let’s get Noctis home.”

The other two nodded and Axis guided Noctis out of the forest with Drautos and Luche behind. The two in back were whispering, and even though Noctis couldn’t hear everything they said, he was pretty sure ‘we’ll be ready for him next time’ was said and that didn’t sit well with him.

There was something about the man that seemed familiar. Something that made him want to protect, but Astrals knew why. As they crossed the bridge back into civilization, Noctis couldn’t help but wonder if he’d get a chance to see the man again and perhaps figure out who he was.


	6. Chapter 6

“I don’t want to hear it,” Ignis said, cleaning his wound.

“Oh, you’re going to hear it,” Gladio growled. “What the hell were you thinking? Going out there to, what, talk with the human? You know the rules!”

Ignis said nothing. The rules were always to run the humans off, not go befriend them. That had been Ignis’s initial plan, but something about that human… There was something so familiar about him, like he had known him once. Those eyes…

Lily would often tell fanciful stories to the pups about love at first sight and the idea of soulmates. Ignis had always chalked those up as nothing other than stories. Nice ideas that had no place in the real world.

But there was something about that human. Even beyond the familiarity. Ignis felt like he needed to protect him at all costs. Especially from whoever it was that had held him. That human was no stranger to the Vesperpool and even though Ignis had never personally shown him out, he had watched Clarus and the others do so. That human was not to be trusted and he felt as if he needed to be sure the blue eyed young man…

Noctis. The man had called him Noctis. He’d forgotten in the aftermath of the encounter and needing to tend his wound, but that was what had caused Ignis to pause in the first place. Noctis. Ignis’s hand went up to the skull pendant. Could it be? The same boy who gave him the skull, the boy that he swore he saw lying dead in a pool of blood, could that be who had just been in the forest?

Ignis pushed himself to his feet in the middle of Gladio’s rant. He had to see that young man again. He had to see Noctis. He needed to know. That was his singular thought. He was so focused he did not hear Gladio and Prompto yell after him or threaten to get Cor or Clarus. When he reached the clearing he had first seen Noctis, he took notice of the blue flowers lying about. He picked them up and continued. Lily had always insisted the pack be courteous and what could be more courteous than returning what had been lost.

He then slipped out of the wilds and quietly moved towards the small human outpost. He kept to the bushes until he was at the town proper. Then he stayed on the outskirts, hiding in the shadows as he blindly moved around. Other humans noticed him, but said or did nothing. He made sure to stay well out of the sights of the people who dressed as the human who had hurt him, correctly thinking that they weren’t people to cross.

He had absolutely no idea where he was going or what he should be looking for. All he could do was wander until something seemed right.

Or wrong, as one corner Ignis turned brought him into collision with one of the men who had been in the forest. In the brief second that it took for the soldier to recognize him, Ignis had turned and ran. Behind him he could hear the man shout, likely sounding an alarm. He either had to find Noctis now or return to the Vesperpool with his tail between his legs.

In his escape, Ignis managed to make his way to the tallest building in the outpost. If he could get high enough, perhaps he could find the quickest way out. As quick as he could manage, he started climbing up. Below he could hear the shouts of more and more men and he was truly beginning to regret his decision to come into the outpost.

But, in an amazing turn of luck, one of the balconies that Ignis pulled himself up on held the one that he was searching for. The dark-haired man had just stepped out, no doubt curious to know what was going on outside, and the two came face to face with each other. Both stood frozen, staring at each other for a moment.

And then Noctis started to back away, behind the billowing curtains. Quickly, Ignis pulled the blue flowers from where he had tucked them in his minimal clothing. He held them out towards Noctis. He wanted to step closer but feared that would drive the other farther inside.

It seemed forever before Noctis took a step forward to grab the flowers. He spoke words that seemed familiar and yet Ignis couldn’t understand them. Suddenly Ignis felt very foolish. What did he think would happen when he found Noctis again? That they would be able to talk? To understand one another? All Ignis could do was stare. He didn’t even know what gestures to try to make.

A hand gripped Ignis’s and he looked down to see where Noctis had taken hold. He then looked back up questioningly and allowed himself to be pulled inside and forced to sit. Ignis looked around the room in awe. Again, it was something that seemed familiar to Ignis, and yet it was so foreign. All of these things that didn’t look like they had any purpose. While he was looking around, he was aware that Noctis was moving around, picking up things before returning to where he had sat Ignis.

There were some words, soothing in cadence, and then something wet touched the wound he had received earlier that day. Initial shock was the wetness but then it started to sting. Ignis cried out in pain, wondering why Noctis would hurt him, but then there was a soft breath blowing on his cut and then a bit of cloth wrapped around.

Ignis stared in amazement. The pain had come so quickly and gone just as fast. As he surveyed the dressing, he saw Noctis moving in his peripheral and then a sudden stop. A hand came out towards Ignis’s neck and then around the skull pendant.

Noctis stared at the little skull and now Ignis was certain that this was his long lost friend. The look of recognition on Noctis’s face as he stared at the pendant. More words were said, urgent words, but Ignis still didn’t know what they were.

It was at this moment that the men from the forest burst into the room, angry as a sahagin who’d had his dinner stolen. The one that had grabbed Noctis earlier seized Ignis’s arm, but the wild man fought against the grip. He probably could have slipped away, but then Noctis said the one word that Ignis understood.

“Ignis?”

Ignis paused in his struggles to look back at Noctis and in that brief moment of distraction, one of the soldiers took his chance and hit Ignis on the head and he knew nothing but darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, so many thanks to [FalchionSage](https://twitter.com/falchionsage) for such a [beautiful illustration!!](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sRH2kke9iM-JXiOSwyTmtm-4nBz9Z7Ng/view?usp=sharing) Be sure to go say hi!


	7. Chapter 7

After the chaos in Noctis’s rooms and being ordered— _ORDERED—_ to stay behind while Drautos, Luche, and the others took the man away, Noctis took off towards his father’s study. He ran as fast as he could, sliding occasionally on the newly cleaned floors, until he reached his destination. He didn’t bother knocking, bursting in the middle of a meeting.

“DAD!” Noctis cried as all heads turned his way.

“Noctis, what—?” Regis said, standing. “Are you alright? Luche was just telling me they caught a savage.”

“Ignis, Dad. Ignis!”

“Ignis?”

“Yeah, Ignis. That was…is Ignis!”

Regis stared at his son and Noctis could suppose he understood why it was hard to believe.

“Sir,” Luche Lazarus interjected, “if I may, Noctis has had a long day. Perhaps he is trying to make sense of why the savage sought him out.”

Noctis glared, “I’m not delusional. Dad, it’s Ignis. He…,” Noctis thought back to the incident in the Vesperpool, when Drautos managed to wound him. Drautos had just said Noctis’s name, “He recognized my name. In the forest. And then he recognized his name when I said it just now.”

“Noct,” Regis said in that tone Noctis was used to hearing when he was about to be treated like a child, “those could have been coincidences. Nothing more.”

“But…but this!” Noctis thrust out his hand and in it was skull pendant. The chain had snapped when Ignis had made a sudden move in the attack from the soldiers and Noctis was left holding it.

Regis stared at the pendant. Stared at it hard. He then slowly lifted his hand to take hold of it and then bring it closer to his face. Noctis could almost see tears forming.

“Mom’s necklace,” Noctis supplied. “The one you had made for her when you were dating. The one she gave to me before she died, telling me to give it to someone that meant a lot to me.”

“You gave this to Ignis,” Regis said, eyes focusing between Noctis and the necklace.

“Yeah,” Noctis urged his father’s memory. “I gave it to him the night Ardyn attacked. The night that we lost Ignis to the wilds. Dad, it’s him. How else could he have this?”

For a moment. A brief moment there was a flash of belief in Regis’s eyes, but it went quickly. “Son, Ignis was, what, six or seven? He would have never survived. It’s more likely that this savage found it and took it for his own.”

“No, but, Dad…” Noctis was heartbroken. Why wouldn’t Regis believe him?

“Luche.”

“Sir?”

“Would you escort Noctis back to his quarters? I think he’s had too much excitement for one day.”

“Yes, sir. Noctis, if I may,” Luche stepped towards the door to hold it open.

“Dad, please,” Noctis begged.

“I’ll see you in the morning, son.”


	8. Chapter 8

When Ignis came to, he found himself on the hard stone floor of some building. His head hurt and it took a few blinks before the world would focus for him. He looked around and saw that wherever he was, he was in a small room. Three sides were stone walls and one was metal bars. He could hear the calls of the Vesperpool, louder now than they were on normal nights. He recognized most of the animals asking others if he had been seen. Ignis was sad, heartbroken. He knew for certain that it was Noctis, but little good that knowledge did him in the prison. He wished to go home.

Standing, he went directly to the barred window and peered out into the night. The town was quiet save for a few people moving to and fro. Those that he could see looked nervous about the noisy Vesperpool.

A sound from behind him made him turn. There was a man standing at the metal door. He was saying words that Ignis didn’t recognize and he had a sinister grin on his face. Ignis had a feeling that this man meant to hurt him.

When Ignis didn’t respond to anything the man was doing, he turned his head towards a door situated up some stairs. He gave a shout, clearly trying to alert someone of something, and then turned his attention back to Ignis. That grin didn’t change, in fact Ignis thought it only got worse.

Several minutes later, the door up the stairs opened and in came two men. Both men Ignis had seen that day. The one who had been with Noctis and the yellow-haired one that had joined him later. Ignis frowned as he watched them come towards the metal door. The man that had been with Noctis, who Ignis figured was the leader, leaned against the bars and pulled out the sharp weapon that Ignis had taken from Aranea’s ruins.

Ignis’s hand immediately went to the area in his clothes he had kept the weapon, to indeed find it gone. He then took his hand to his neck and was devastated to find that this skull was gone. He could only hope that Noctis had it. It had been his to begin with.

The leader was saying things that Ignis still could not understand. Sometimes he felt like there was a word that almost made sense, but the man was talking so loudly and quickly that Ignis didn’t have time to process it. The leader brandished the weapon at him, still yelling, and when Ignis didn’t answer, he just got angrier.

After several minutes, the man stopped yelling and Ignis hoped that meant he was done. But he wasn’t. He had his two subordinates open the door, grab him, and then hold him tight. Ignis struggled, but he was still feeling the effects of being knocked out, making it difficult to do much more than squirm.

The leader started yelling again. The weapon was brought right into Ignis’s face and shaken so violently that he wasn’t sure how he hadn’t been hit by it. When he still didn’t answer, the red-haired man with the sinister grin came around and punched Ignis hard in the face. Ignis still didn’t know what he was being asked. He assumed they wanted to know where the weapon had come from, but Ignis wouldn’t tell them even if he could.

Sinister man hit his face a couple of times and punched him in the gut, leaving him winded. He was then dropped hard on the stone floor as all three men left the tiny room, locking him inside. He was in pain, hungry, and thirsty, yet somehow Ignis didn’t think any of those would be remedied this evening.

~*~*~*~*~

The night was long and restless. Ignis didn’t think he got any sleep, only the occasional dip into unconsciousness before being jolted out of it again. He stayed curled in the corner of the room, using two of the walls to support him.

Morning movement started around him. He could see the shadows of people walking past his window and he could hear movement of someone—probably the sinister man—moving in the larger room outside the metal bars. The door up the stairs opened once and the yellow-haired man came down. He sneered at Ignis before walking out of sight. From the conversation they were having, Ignis thought he recognized the sinister man’s voice.

That proved true later when the leader came down the stairs. He had food with him; Ignis could smell it. The leader seemed to make a show of handing some food to the other two men and looking as if he dared Ignis to ask for some.

Ignis wouldn’t sink so low.

The three ate and conversed, all while staring at Ignis. They were probably trying to figure out a way to make him talk. The loud shouts from the night before had become much quieter and now Ignis couldn’t hear enough to know what was being said. He thought he might be able to pull out the memory of the language if he could just hear it spoken normally.

The door opened again, and the three men glanced up the stairs first and then very quickly stood straight. Ignis watched with mild curiosity. Two men came down the stairs. One was older, with greying hair. He seemed to be the one the men were standing for. Perhaps the leader had a leader of his own.

The second man had brilliant white hair and a stern looking face.

More conversations were had. Quiet ones. Ignis turned his head to ignore whatever was going on. He knew it concerned him but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

The older man stepped closer to the metal bars and spoke some words. Ignis glanced his way and was struck by his kind face and similarity to Noctis, but otherwise paid him no mind. Until he heard his name.

“Ignis?”

Ignis looked over, watching the man, searching for and perhaps finding some familiarity in him. He said more words and noticed that Ignis only reacted to his name. And then he pulled out the pendant; the one that Ignis held so dear to his heart. He stared hard at it, watched it as the older man moved it slightly as he spoke.

Then he said, “Noctis.” The only other word that Ignis recognized.

There was some movement, as if the older man was trying to get Ignis to understand something. Ignis tried, but there was so much stacked against him that he was kind of surprised that he could make out the two human words he knew. After a moment of watching the older man, Ignis thought he may have the gist as to what he was being asked.

Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet, unsteady from lack of sleep, hunger, thirst, and a head injury. He leaned heavily against the wall as he stepped closer to the bars. Staring at the pendant, he pointed at it, and for the first time in fifteen years, spoke a human word. “Noct-is.” It felt foreign and weird, but it did come out. Again he pointed at the pendant, said Noctis’s name, and then pointed to himself. He hoped he was conveying that Noctis had given it to him, but he wasn’t sure he was. The old man just stared and then he turned towards the leader and said something. The next thing Ignis knew was that the metal bars opened and the white-haired man stepped in.

Ignis’s immediate reaction was to recoil, but it only took a few steps before he was literally backed into a corner with no where else to go. The man’s stern face grew more-so. He said some words and slowly moved his hand up to Ignis’s face. A light touch made Ignis flinch in pain; no doubt a bruise given when the sinister man had hit him. The man’s frown deepened even more before he stepped back. Some words were exchanged and the old man took the white-haired man’s place. The old man extended a hand, palm up, with a calming tone. Ignis eventually understood he was meant to take the man’s hand and so he did.

The old man smiled and tugged slightly, getting Ignis to step out of the cell and follow him up the stairs.


	9. Chapter 9

Noctis was frustrated and all but confined to his rooms. He’d tried to go see Ignis a couple of hours after the man had landed on his balcony, but Drautos had stopped him. Drautos insisted that Ignis was wild and unpredictable and he could lash out at any moment. He walked Noctis back to his rooms and made him promise to stay.

Reluctantly, Noctis did. He’d left for breakfast this morning only to find Axis standing outside his door and questioned him where he was going. When pressured, Axis told him that Drautos had asked that he keep an eye on Noctis. This had frustrated Noctis even more and he just turned back around and slammed his door.

Luna came in not long after, no doubt wondering why Noctis hadn’t come for breakfast. Thankfully, she had brought breakfast with her.

“He’s being cautious,” Luna said after Noctis explained everything. “He wants to keep you safe.”

Noctis raised an eyebrow at her. Luna had never liked Drautos, saying there was something about him that didn’t feel right.

“I’m not saying he’s not an ass for doing it the way he’s doing it, just that that is his motivation,” she clarified.

“But it’s Ignis,” Noctis said as if that was all anyone needed to know and understand.

“You’re sure about that? It has been many years and Ignis was very young when he disappeared into the wilds.”

“Luna, it’s Ignis. I know it is. Even before I realized who he was exactly, he felt familiar. He must have felt something similar. Why else would he have come all this way just to return the flowers I had picked for you.” Noctis nodded towards the little vase that held the flowers.

She smiled and nodded. Luna believed him at least. Now he needed to work on his father.

A knock at the door had them both looking towards it. Noctis barely got out an “enter” when it opened to reveal Ravus.

“Lunafreya, Mother requests your assistance with her new patient.”

“What? Since when is Mother seeing patients again?” Luna asked, standing.

“Since the patient appears to be Noctis’s old friend,” Ravus answered. He looked at Noctis, “Your presence has also been requested. Mother thinks you will help keep him calm.”

Noctis was quick to his feet and following the other two.

“Why does Ignis need medical treatment?” Noctis asked as they exited the room.

Ravus glanced over his shoulder to be sure that they weren’t being followed by Axis. “Although he denies it, Furia seemed to get some extra pleasure out of imprisoning him last night.”

“What?!”

There was a glare, but Ravus said nothing more.

They reached the medical wing and when they opened the door, it was to Regis and Sylva just watching Ignis. Ignis was standing on the balcony with what appeared to be a daggerquill sitting on his arm. He was chirping at it and it back. Perhaps he truly could talk to the animals like the locals had always insisted.

The clicking of the door once it shut drew Sylva’s and Regis’s attention, both of whom smiled.

“Dad?” Noctis asked, not sure what else to say.

“I thought about all you had said last night and I went to speak with him this morning. He showed no interest in anything other than his name, your name, and the pendant. I believe he even indicated that he got the pendant from you.”

“Thank you,” was all Noctis could think to respond. A flutter in the corner of his eye caught his attention and Noctis looked over just in time to see the tail feathers of the daggerquill disappear. Glancing around at everyone else in the room, Noctis started towards the balcony. “Ignis?”

The name caught the man’s attention and he turned to face Noctis. A big, bright smile crossed Ignis’s face as he saw it was Noctis who had called his name. Noctis frowned when Ignis started to move, it was slow and a bit wobbly. What had Furia done?

“Noct-is,” Ignis said, stopping in front of him.

“Noct’s fine,” Noctis told him, noticing there was a little pause on the second syllable.

“Noct.”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Let’s get you healed, okay?” Ignis didn’t understand the words, but he took Noctis’s hand when it was offered. Noctis led him to where Sylva was waiting and got him to sit down in the chair. Luna brought a chair for him to sit in as well so that he never had to let go of Ignis’s hand.

“This is Sylva, Ravus, and Luna. They are going to help you,” Noctis explained, slowly. He didn’t think Ignis understood, but he felt it best to explain anyway.

Sylva was gentle as she inspected Ignis’s face and spoke quietly to Luna when asking for specific poultices. Ravus stood back, allowing his mother and sister to do what was needed, but collecting anything they asked of him.

Before long, Sylva had patched Ignis up.

“Minor bruising and a few cuts. He has a knot on his head where I assume he was hit to be knocked out. Right now, I think what he needs most is a good meal and a good sleep.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Regis said.

“He can stay in my room,” Noctis offered. He would happily sleep on the couch to keep Ignis close.

Before Regis could disapprove, Luna cut in. “I think that’s a good place for him. It’ll be easy enough to keep people from disturbing him. And, it’ll probably help him to be close to the only one he seems to remember.”

Noctis looked at his father and Regis sighed. “Alright.”

Noctis mouthed “thank you” to Luna as they left the medical wing.

“I’ll be up shortly with some food that I think will help him regain his energy,” Sylva told them as she turned towards the kitchens.

Within the hour, Ignis had eaten and put to bed so that he could sleep. Getting him on the bed had been an experience. It was clear he was not used to soft things and seemed to think it might swallow him up. Eventually, though, Noctis pulled him down to sleep by also getting into bed. Ignis was out quickly and Noctis would have loved to join him in naptime, but Luna and Ravus were still present. Reluctantly, Noctis rolled himself out of bed once it was clear Ignis was asleep.

“I can’t believe it’s him,” Noctis whispered as the three of them watched Ignis sleep. “Do you think he’ll want to stay here or go back to the wilds?”

“You shouldn’t give him a choice,” Ravus said. “He is a man and he should be with men.”

It shouldn’t surprise Noctis that that would be Ravus’s answer. He looked at Luna who was rolling her eyes. “He is his own person and can decide for himself. Perhaps once he sees what the human world has to offer, he’ll want to stay.”

Ravus huffed.

“We’ll let you two be. If you need anything, just come find us,” Luna said. She then planted a kiss on Noctis’s cheek and led her brother out of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Everything was soft. Softer than Ignis had ever remembered feeling. He imagined this must be akin to sleeping in a cloud.

He let his eyes focus and he looked around him. Noctis had been in the bed with him when he fell asleep, but he was no longer there. Ignis frowned. Where did he go?

Sitting up, the question was quickly answered. Noctis was laying on something else that looked soft. He seemed to be fast asleep.

Quietly, so to not disturb Noctis, Ignis worked his way out of bed (a bit difficult when it felt like everything was trying to keep one in) and towards the bathroom. He had been shown where it was soon after coming into this room and he actually remembered it. Not this one, obviously, but the concept of bathrooms. He found there were a lot of concepts that were slowing making their way back into the forefront of his mind.

While Noctis slept, Ignis looked around his room. Shelves with items on them. Some of the items looked like what Aranea had in her ruins. Others looked more personal, perhaps things that Noctis held dear. One of the things that he came across was a black and white image. An image of two young boys, one with light hair that stood a head taller than one with dark hair. They were smiling, laughing.

A sound came from behind him and Ignis turned quickly to see Noctis standing there. He repeated the word he’d said and then pointed between the two of them and then to the two boys in the picture.

“Us.” That was the word Noctis said.

“Us,” he repeated, looking back down at the image. Ignis looked at the picture, trying to remember it. When he couldn’t, he wondered how much longer the two boys would have together before being separated. Each thinking the other dead.

“Oi!”

Both Ignis and Noctis turned towards the sound. It was Biggs, the daggerquill that Ignis had spoken with yesterday (was it yesterday?) and asked to send word to the wilds that he was alright.

“Biggs, I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon,” Ignis greeted as he walked to the balcony. Upon exiting the room and stepping into the sunlight, he decided that it was indeed yesterday as it was a morning sky that greeted him.

“Well,” he shrugged. “Thought I might caution you ‘bout goin’ back to the Vesperpool.”

“What? Why?”

The fear must have shown on his face because the daggerquill laughed and Noctis said something that had the tone of concern.

“‘Cuz you’re gonna be ripped apart by either a coeurl or a havocfang for bein’ reckless and dumb. And for makin’ your mum worry.”

The tension released from his shoulders and he too laughed. “I’ll be home soon. I just…I need to do this.”

“Right-o! But come back soon, your cockatrice friend may lose all ‘is feathers from worry.”

With that, Biggs took to the air and was gone. Ignis watched him until he disappeared before turning back to Noctis. He wondered what Noctis thought about all of this. Man talking with beast.

“Okay?” Noctis asked and after the third or fourth time of repeating the word, Ignis latched on to it and understood.

“Okay,” he smiled. Noctis smiled in return and how Ignis wanted Noctis to smile like that always.

A knock on the door drew their attention. Someone said something from the other side and Noctis seemed to take it as a good thing as he quickly shouted, “Yeah!” back. The door opened to reveal the yellow-haired woman that had come with Noctis yesterday. She pushed something in with her and Ignis watched as she closed the door and pushed it towards the area they had eaten at yesterday. She moved some things and when she turned back around, Ignis could see food. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until that moment. Famished, he went with Noctis and sat down to eat.

Much like the meal he’d had yesterday, this was fruits and nuts he had often eaten in the Vesperpool. He was glad it was something that he recognized because he wasn’t sure what Noctis and the woman were eating. It smelled good but looked strange.

Noctis and the woman—Luna if he understood correctly—spoke quite a bit and looked towards him a lot. They were speaking fast and Ignis couldn’t catch most of the words, but there were some he was almost sure he remembered.

After breakfast was over, Luna pulled out some books. Children’s books, Ignis knew, due to how simple they looked. Pictures mostly with very few words. The pictures were associated with large letters. Ah, the alphabet. Ignis remembered the alphabet. He remembered of it anyway. He started to flip through the images as Luna kept speaking to Noctis. Things were indeed coming back to him but it was still frustratingly slow.

“Ignis,” Luna caught his attention and he looked up. “It…..to….you.” She spoke slowly enough that Ignis was amazed and pleased that he managed to pick out a few words. He wasn’t exactly sure what she said, but she smiled and took his hand briefly. Noctis then stood and walked with her to the door. They spoke a few more words before she leaned in and kissed Noctis on the cheek and then left.

A jealousy like Ignis had never felt surged through him at that show of affection. Noctis was…well, Ignis wanted Noctis to be his and he suddenly saw Luna as the enemy. It was ridiculous. Luna had probably been in Noctis’s life for many years, perhaps even together, and Ignis had no claim to that.

“Okay?”

Ignis looked up to see Noctis looking at him with worry. Lily had always said that jealousy wasn’t a good look on him. Perhaps Noctis could see it too. A few deep breaths and he replied, “Okay.”

There was that smile again and Ignis instantly felt at ease. Noctis sat down with him and together they started looking through the books Luna had dropped off.

~*~*~*~*~

That first day, Ignis pretty much stayed in Noctis’s rooms. People came in and out to talk with Noctis and sometimes himself. Luna returned a few times and not always alone. Once she was with the stern looking man who she introduced as Ravus. Brother and sister, perhaps. It felt a bit like the relationship that Gladio had with Iris, only less playful. Another time Luna came in with the older yellow-haired woman who had looked at him yesterday. Sylva was her name.

Noctis’s father came in for a little while in the afternoon where they ate sweet food and drank a warm liquid. Ignis wasn’t sure he liked either but it was nice to see Noctis and his father interact.

All the while, Ignis was slowly picking out small bits of memory. Everyone spoke slowly around him, which he appreciated. It meant that he had an easier time learning—relearning?—the human language.

After dinner, a knock came to the door that Ignis wished hadn’t. Noctis got up to answer it and on the other side was the man that had threatened him with his own knife. He looked over at Ignis with a smirk, before putting his arm around Noctis’s waist and pulling him into the hall. Ignis stood immediately and went to the door.

“….go…..fine,” Noctis said. He was smiling, laughing and Ignis couldn’t figure out why. This was not a good man.

“Noct. …out…..with me….”

“No,” Noctis responded, still laughing. Noctis pushed away, but the man’s grip only grew tighter. Ignis moved to defend Noctis, but the man let him go.

“Soon….you…me.”

“Bye,” Noctis waved and he led Ignis back into the room. “Drautos,” (Ignis assumed that was the man’s name) “is……I….” whatever Noctis fully said, Ignis didn’t know, but there was a lot of shrugging and hand gestures that indicated Noctis wasn’t sure about the man either.

That was something, at least.


	11. Chapter 11

Speak slowly and enunciate fully. That was Luna’s words to him. She and Ravus had found what they could on what could happen if one lost their language. There wasn’t much, but everything indicated it was still in there and given time and patience, it’d come back.

Noctis couldn’t wait to be able to speak with Ignis again. He wanted to know about his life in the wilderness. How did he survive? Can he really talk to animals? But, he was afraid that once Ignis did find his voice again, he’d be taken away. Noctis had heard Ravus talk about how much could be learned from Ignis and how everyone would be keen to talk with him.

All Noctis wanted was to keep Ignis with him.

Ignis seemed happy enough to stay. The daggerquill came back every morning, they spoke, and then the bird was off again. Noctis noticed that Ignis looked more and more wistful each day. He wanted to go back to the wilds of the Vesperpool, Noctis knew, but for how long? Forever? He wouldn’t stop him, but he would beg and plead for him to stay.

Drautos was jealous of the time that Noctis spent with Ignis. He started coming around more and insisting on going out on walks more. Noctis indulged him, figuring Ignis would like alone time or he worked it out so that Ignis was getting a check up. Noctis was still very confused on where his feelings lay concerning Drautos and he didn’t want to push the man away.

The jealousy came to a head one afternoon when they were walking along the paths of the garden and someone called for Noctis. Both turned to see a young woman coming towards them.

“Master Noctis, my grandfather has asked that I give this to you.” She presented a box and when Noctis opened it, he saw the skull pendant.

“Oh, it looks perfect. Thank your grandfather for me. And thank you for bringing it to me.”

The woman smiled, bowed her head, and was off.

“A necklace?” Drautos asked. “I wasn’t aware you were into jewelry.”

Noctis laughed. “It’s not for me. It’s Ignis’s. I had it fixed for him.”

“That’s the Lucis Caelum symbol. Why would the sav—” Noctis shot Drautos a glare that dared him to finish that word. “Why would Ignis have a piece of your family history?”

“Because I gave it to him. My mother told me to give it to someone I care about and at the age of five, I thought it meant I should give it to my first friend. Dad was furious. Probably more so because it disappeared the night I gave it over.”

“That was fifteen years ago. You are no longer five and you should give it as the gift it was meant to be. To the one you love.”

Noctis narrowed his eyes. “It’s not mine to give, Drautos. I gave up all rights to it once I handed it over to Ignis. It’s the only bit of humanity he’s had these last fifteen years and I’m not going to take that from him.”

“Noctis, it’s sweet, it really is, but is it really what your mother wanted?”

It was funny, Noctis would think later, how all of this time he had been confused about his feelings towards Drautos when he shouldn’t have been. If he really felt something, he wouldn’t have dodged him for so long. All it took was this man, who had never met Noctis’s mother, trying to tell him what she would have wanted.

“It is, excuse me,” Noctis replied curtly, pushing past Drautos and heading back inside. He didn’t get very far when a strong hand wrapped around his upper arm and pulled him back. “Unhand me,” Noctis glared.

“Would you really throw us away for a man you barely know?” Drautos asked, refusing to let go.

“We were never an ‘us.’ We will never be an ‘us.’”

They glared daggers at each other before Drautos finally let go, pushing Noctis slightly. He didn’t say anything as he turned around to head back outside. Noctis waited a moment to be sure he wasn’t going to turn back around before heading up to his rooms. Once there, he knocked on the door to let Ignis know he was coming in before opening it.

Ignis was sitting on the sofa, looking at one of the many books that Luna had brought for him. When Noctis entered, he looked up, smiled briefly, and stood to come over. “You okay?” he asked.

Sometimes it amazed Noctis how perceptive Ignis seemed to be. He didn’t think he should have looked like anything was wrong, but it appeared he did. He smiled. “Yeah, I’m okay.” Ignis gave him a look like he didn’t believe the statement. “Promise.”

It was clear that Ignis wasn’t convinced, but he let it go.

“Hey, I got you something,” Noctis said, changing the subject and handing Ignis the little box. The other man took it, but was confused.

“What?”

“Open it,” Noctis urged.

He watched as Ignis opened the box and saw the contents on the inside. The man’s eyes widened and filled with tears as he pulled out the pendant. Ignis then dropped the box and pulled Noctis into a hug. Noctis was startled at first but soon reciprocated. They stood like that until Ignis pulled away.

“Sorry,” he said, blushing a little.

“It’s fine,” Noctis assured. He then took the pendant from Ignis and put it on him. “There. Back where it belongs.”

“Thought…I thought it was gone.”

“Naw,” Noctis said, giving a crooked smile, “I just wanted to fix it for you.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon looking at books and working on speech. Ignis was coming along nicely, even if it was clear he was frustrated that he could speak as he wished. Noctis just continued to offer encouragement.

After dinner, Noctis excused himself as soon as he was finished. He needed a bath and some alone time after everything that had happened with Drautos. No one around the dinner table questioned him and so Noctis assumed nothing had been said. He explained that he needed some time and told Ignis not to rush through dinner.

A warm bath was just what he needed; it took the pains of the day away so wonderfully. Noctis tried to keep everything with Drautos out of his mind, but it was impossible. He berated himself for not putting an end to whatever had been going on sooner. Maybe, he tried to reason with himself, he just needed a catalyst to make him realize and maybe that catalyst was Ignis.

Ignis was something else he tried not to think about. It was all too easy to imagine being the wild man’s savior and in being so, earning his love. But it was ridiculous to think love was on the table, for either of them. Noctis tried to convince himself that he was just happy to have his old friend back and alive. This was true, of course, but why did his old friend have to be so damned attractive?

As the water chilled, Noctis forced himself to rinse and step out. Just be happy Ignis is around and now Drautos is gone. Hopefully. Drying off, he pulled his pants on but found himself collapsing face first on his bed, shirt still in hand. Everything at the moment felt a bit too much. Laying there, he finally allowed his mind to just go blank.

Noctis must have truly zoned out, because he did not hear Ignis come in, gasp, or walk to where he was on the bed. He only realized that Ignis was there when he felt a light touch on his back. He jumped, startled, which in turn startled Ignis.

He sat up and quickly put his shirt on. He hated the scars that were on his back and others hated them too. Too ugly and gross. He hadn’t wanted Ignis to see them.

Ignis looked apologetic, but instead of saying that he was sorry, he asked, “Ardyn?”

Noctis blinked. They hadn’t spoken of the behemoth before and he was surprised to hear him actually say the name.

He nodded.

Ignis frowned. “I thought you…dead.”

“You thought I had died?” Noctis asked, surprised.

With a nod, Ignis said, “Yes. I thought…thought nothing here, so stayed there. Should have checked.”

“Oh, Ignis, it’s okay. I probably should have died. Sylva was amazing, though. Luna kept my spirits up even as I mourned my injuries and the loss of you. I should have been more insistent on looking for you.”

“I am sorry.”

Noctis took Ignis’s hand and held it in both of his. “There is nothing for you to be sorry for. Nothing.”

It was another statement that Ignis didn’t seem to believe, but he managed a small smile and a nod. Noctis returned the gestures.


	12. Chapter 12

Ignis was ready to go home.

Not in the “I don’t want to live with Noctis anymore” way, but in an “I miss my friends and family and would like to visit” sort of way.

The issue was trying to convey his want without Noctis thinking he wanted to leave.

He’d been in Meldacio for half a moon cycle and was rather surprised at how much he was advancing. He supposed it had to do with the fact that he had spent seven years in the human world and that information was still in there, it was just pulling it out.

Many things were familiar to him and he’d learn to understand his native language effortlessly, so long as the speaker was talking slowly. His brain needed some time to process the human language, but it was doing so quicker with each day. He still had issues speaking it, however. The ideas were there, but the correct wording was difficult. He knew that when he spoke to Noctis or Luna (the two he saw the most of) that he skipped over words that were seemingly important. They would correct him and he tried to remember for the next time, but he didn’t always.

Because of that, he often said things he didn’t mean. It was both frustrating and embarrassing.

It was a few nights after Ignis had seen the scars that Ardyn had left on Noctis’s back, something that still amazed him. Ignis had seen many things fall to tooth and claw that had lesser wounds than what Noctis carried, yet Noctis lived. He would never understand how but he would never not be thankful. Noctis never spoke of the scars or Ardyn and even though Ignis wanted to know how he survived, he didn’t want to ask. Partially because he wanted to respect Noctis’s wishes but also because he was afraid the question would come out wrong.

The cool breeze of the swiftly approaching rainy season was flowing through the town and subsequently through the open windows of Noctis’s rooms. Noctis was sitting at his desk near the windows while he worked on something that Ignis didn’t understand. He knew it had to do with Regis’s position as the leader of the town and that Noctis would one day take over; he just didn’t know anything more than that. Sometimes it seemed like Noctis didn’t either.

“Noct?”

“Hmm?”

Noctis’s barely there response made Ignis worry that he wasn’t actually listening and that he’d be upset about wanting to go home no matter how he phrased it.

“I want…home. I want go home. To go home,” Ignis finally managed to get out and hoped that was correct. It seemed to be with how quickly Noctis spun around to look at him.

“What?! Ignis… What?! You want to leave? Why? Are you not happy here? What can I do—”

Upon Noctis’s reaction, Ignis stood from where he had been sitting and walked over to the desk. He then placed a finger on Noctis’s lips to shush him.

“Visit. Miss them. I miss them.”

Noctis’s shoulders relaxed. “Right. Sorry, I just, it’s stupid. I’m stupid. Yes! You should go visit your friends.”

“Will you come? With me?”

Ignis knew that there would be no communication between his family and Noctis, but he still wanted to introduce them. It felt like an important thing for him to do. He could almost guarantee that Prompto would love him and Gladio would be standoffish. Cor would probably stay hidden but nearby. Clarus would have nothing to do with Noctis and try to keep the rest of the pack away, but some my try to slip through.

“I’d like that,” Noctis smiled. “When?”

“Need to talk with Biggs. Few days?”

“Yeah, can’t wait.”

~*~*~*~*~

Noctis was aware that Biggs was the daggerquill that Ignis spoke to daily. Ignis was so very thankful to the bird for checking in on him. It kept a line of communication open between himself and the Vesperpool. Biggs seemed to get enjoyment out of it, especially when Luna happened to be around when he visited; she always gave him fruit.

A few days later, Ignis and Noctis were crossing into the wilds of the Vesperpool as inconspicuously as possible (Regis would be furious to know Noctis entered the wilds). They went to the little clearing and pool where they had first met and Ignis was happy to see Gladio and Prompto already there. He ran to give Prompto a hug and Gladio a playful rub on the head.

“I’ve missed you,” Ignis told them.

“Have you? You seem pretty happy with the human,” Gladio growled.

“Gladio, it’s his friend from when he was a cub! If Ignis trusts him, we should too!” Prompto said, fluffing his feathers indignantly for Ignis’s sake. “Will you introduce us?”

Gladio rolled his eyes, but said nothing. Prompto started dancing in place, eager to meet Noctis.

“Prompto, this is Noctis,” Ignis said in the language of the wilds. It was almost a relief to not have to think so hard about what he wanted to say. But he had to switch over to human language. “Noctis, this Prompto.”

“Human language sounds so weird!” Prompto laughed before bounding over to where Noctis was. He stuck his face into Noctis’s (who was clearly terrified and standing stock still) to nuzzle and then he started nipping lightly at Noctis’s hair.

“Ignis?” Noctis said quietly, again, clearly terrified.

“Prompto, you’re scaring him,” Ignis admonished.

“Oh! Oh no! I’m sorry!” Prompto squawked and instantly dropped down to sit, hanging his head in shame and apology.

“He is sorry,” Ignis offered Noctis.

“It’s fine,” Noctis said, voice still a little shaky.

“He likes,” Ignis paused to think of exactly what he wanted to say, “He likes pets here.” Ignis placed his hand on the bridge of his own nose in hopes that Noctis understood.

He did. The other man cautiously placed a hand on Prompto’s beak, just where it met with feathers, and the cockatrice melted. He leaned his face into Noctis’s touch and started chirping. That got Noctis to smile and look over to Ignis with laughter.

Gladio rolled his eyes again with a huff. “I cannot believe you two.”

“Gladio,” Ignis told Noctis with a nod of the head towards the havocfang. “He’s, he’s…he’s protective.”

“I get that,” Noctis said. He was now almost fully enveloped in Prompto’s plumage as the cockatrice curled around him. They had all finally sat down on the forest floor. “Prompto is friendly.”

“Yes,” Ignis laughed. He then pointed between himself, Prompto, and Gladio. “Brothers. Cubs together.”

He nodded in understanding. While Gladio refused to move closer, Ignis tried his best to work out a way that Noctis could at least pronounce Prompto’s and Gladio’s names in some semblance of correctness. Much like Ignis had repeated words for Noctis to learn the human language, Noctis was now doing the same for him. Every time that he got it understandable, Prompto would give him a little nip of affection. It seemed the best reward Noctis could receive with how happy he was upon receiving the nip.

After some time of repeating Gladio’s name once Prompto was mastered, the sound of running animals erupted through the forest. Noctis looked worried but the other three had no doubt as to who was coming. Sure enough, seconds later, Nyx burst his way through the undergrowth. Libertus and Crowe were not far behind.

“Ignis!” Nyx was so happy to see the man that he instantly came over and headbutted him in greeting, nearly knocking Ignis on his back. “We’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Ignis responded also getting headbutts from the other two.

“Nyx! Nyx! Look! Human! And he knows my name!” Prompto crowed, rubbing his beak on Noctis’s cheek.

“This is the one who gave you that skull?” Crowe asked, to which Ignis nodded.

“Well, any friend of Iggy’s is a friend of mine,” Nyx said. He walked slowly over to where Noctis was and the outsider had a wary look on his face. He kept glancing between Ignis and Nyx. Nyx was good, however, and just slowly leaned his head in with a light headbutt, surprising just about everyone.

“Who knew you could be so gentle,” Libertus laughed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Nyx responded as he settled down next to Ignis. He never really got out of the habit of curling around the man. The other two settled down as well. Nyx looked over to Gladio. “You gonna be like your old man? Or are you gonna trust Ignis knows what he’s doing?”

Ignis watched as Gladio had an internal battle with himself. He was sure Clarus was against this meeting, fearing what another human in the forest might do and Gladio wanted nothing more than to prove to his father that he was going to be a good leader. However, Ignis knew that Gladio trusted him completely, Prompto too, and he wanted to befriend this new entity in Ignis’s life.

Finally, the battle of friendship won out and Gladio trotted over to join everyone.

It was such a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. Ignis was with all of his friends (he hoped to bring Luna one day as well) and even though there was a significant language barrier between them, he was more than happy to play translator.

“I just can’t believe you can speak them. And with so little effort,” Noctis said. “How did you learn?”

“Carbuncle,” Ignis answered simply. Somehow, the name was the same in both languages. Perhaps the magic of the guardian.

“Don’t tell him about Carbuncle,” Gladio told him.

“Ah, let him tell his story, Glads,” Nyx said. He had rolled over on his back to soak in some of the sunlight that was peeking through the canopy.

“Carbuncle?” Noctis asked.

“A guardian. Little. Blue. Big ears. Long—”

“Long fluffy tail with a red jewel on it’s forehead?” Noctis finished.

Ignis blinked. “Yes. How?”

“The night that…” Noctis paused and Ignis already knew which night he was talking about. He was just about to encourage him to go on, but Noctis did so without the prompt. “The night that I gave you the skull. It came to me in a dream. Told me to give it to you. I woke up and it just felt like I needed to do it right away. I didn’t question it because Mom said to give it to someone I cared about and I cared about you. Wow…”

“Indeed.”

Ignis thought about what he’d just learned and then remembered what Cor had told him his very first day in the Vesperpool. Guardians tend to do things for a reason. Had Carbuncle known what was going to happen and wanted to be sure they got back together in the end? But why them? Why were they so special?

“Cor!” he shouted, startling everyone in the clearing. Even though he hadn’t seen the coeurl, he knew he was nearby. He waited for some sort of response and eventually got one in a low huff. “Carbuncle told Noctis to give me the skull.”

“What?!” Prompto and the havocfangs all sat up to attention at the news and Ignis quickly relayed the story. That got Cor out of the trees.

He landed with a light thud and gave Noctis a hard stare as he walked over. He never took his eyes off the young man, even after he sat next to Ignis.

“Carbuncle told him to give you that?” Cor asked.

“He described him perfectly and said he came in a dream the night of the attack.”

“Hmm.”

Everyone watched Cor with bated breath, unsure what he would do. Noctis looked like he was prepared to die, which Ignis completely understood.

Finally, Cor huffed and turned to walk away. “Doesn’t mean I have to like him.” Then, with a bound, he had disappeared once again.

“Cor,” Ignis told Noctis once the air cleared of Cor’s intensity. “Very protective.”

“Right.”

~*~*~*~*~

They lingered by the small pool for the rest of the afternoon, until a howl rang through the forest. The sun was starting to sink below the tree line which meant that it was time for the evening crew to stalk the forest, looking for anything that shouldn’t be there. Ignis didn’t need to ask, he knew that Clarus was calling for the group around him to start their shift.

“That’s the old man,” Gladio said, standing and stretching. “Don’t suppose you want to hang around for a nightly prowl?”

“He needs to get the human home,” Crowe answered, saving Ignis the need to respond. He wanted to stay and join the others. He hadn’t quite realized how much he missed this until it was time to return to the human world. But Crowe was right, he needed to get Noctis home.

“Do you have to go?” Prompto asked. “Maybe Carbuncle will bless Noct with the gift of animal speech and you can both stay.”

“I don’t think it works like that,” Ignis said with a sigh. He saw Noctis look at him, questioning.

“Did Prompto say my name?”

With a chuckle, Ignis nodded. “Doesn’t want us to go.”

Noctis rubbed Prompto’s beak. “I wish we didn’t have to, but we’ll be lucky if Dad hasn’t realized we’ve disappeared.”

Another howl sounded and this one was more annoyed.

“Don’t get on Clarus’s bad side on my account. We’ll be back,” Ignis promised as his packmates came to give goodbye headbutts and licks.

“You better,” Nyx and Gladio threatened at the same time.

“Let’s go,” Gladio said before sending off an answering howl. The four havocfangs and cockatrice took off into the forest, disappearing in the undergrowth of the Vesperpool.

Noctis shuffled over to where Ignis was sitting and staring off in the direction that his family had gone. Ignis didn’t even realize it until arms wrapped around him and a chin rested on his shoulder.

“We’ll be back,” Noctis promised and Ignis leaned into those words.

He shifted slightly, turning just enough so that he could see the sincerity in Noctis’s eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes that that even the deepest parts of the Vesperpool couldn’t rival. There was a sudden urge for Ignis to touch Noctis, hold his face, feel his perfect skin under his own callused fingers. He wanted to drown in Noctis’s eyes and breathe the same air that escaped those perfect lips. He wanted to taste those lips and while his brain couldn’t quite fathom what these thoughts were, his body seemed to be pulled into Noctis’s and the smaller man didn’t seem to mind. But just before their faces could touch, there was a loud thud nearby. The sound startled them away from each other, blushing in embarrassment. Later, when Ignis would relive the moment, he couldn’t help but wonder if Cor had been responsible for pulling them apart.

It was Noctis that stood first, dusting his hands on his pants. “We should get going.” Words said so carefully, as if he was trying to erase whatever moment they had almost had.

 _Probably for the best_ , Ignis concluded as he too stood. As they walked towards the edge of civilization, Ignis asked, “How know…how did you know Prompto said name…your name?”

Noctis laughed, “I noticed that he made a particular sound just before you’d ask me something from him. Made me think it must be how he says my name.”

“Brilliant,” Ignis smiled.


	13. Chapter 13

It became a regular occurrence for Noctis and Ignis to go out into the wilds. Whenever Ignis got word from the daggerquill that his family was otherwise unoccupied, they would head over. It was great, Noctis thought, being able to spend so much time in the world that Ignis has grown up in. Seeing the love that the animals had for him and how quickly they were to accept Noctis as a friend. Prompto especially. That cockatrice seemed to think the world of Noctis and Noctis couldn’t help but be rather fond of Prompto.

He never allowed the visits to interfere with his daily chores around Meldacio. Usually all he had to do was go to some meetings and read some reports to discuss with his father. Those were rarely things that popped up out of nowhere and so it was easy to make plans. He didn’t think that Regis minded until one day Noctis was stopped before he could leave their meeting.

“Noct, a moment please.”

“Yeah? What’s up?” Noctis asked, sitting back down and waiting for the last of the stragglers to leave the room.

“How are you, son?”

“Good.” Noctis didn’t know what was going on and so he kept his guard up.

“And how is Ignis? Is he readjusting to the human world well?”

“Yeah, he’s doing great. He almost remembers all the words in a sentence now.” That statement earned a quizzical look, so Noctis explained. “He was leaving out words that didn’t seem important. Like, instead of saying ‘are you alright?’ he would say ‘you alright?’ He’s mostly getting all the words now, but he still has to think about how to say what he wants to say.”

“Ah, I’m glad,” Regis smiled. “I’m glad. Lunafreya helps him quite a bit as well, correct?”

Noctis nodded.

“Good. He won’t be lonely when you return to Insomnia.”

He stared at his father, trying to decide if he had heard correctly. Surely he hadn’t. “I’m sorry, when I go back to where?”

“Insomnia,” Regis repeated and there was no hint of mischief in his eyes.

“Dad, why?! I hate Insomnia! It’s too crowded with people. Why do I have to go there?” Noctis found himself standing in his anger, unaware that he had pushed himself to his feet.

“You have spent too much time out here in the wilds,” Regis said, staring him down until Noctis was once again sitting. “You are too rough around the edges and need refinement. You will never find a partner if you continue as you are. You are still young enough that it’ll be easy to learn.”

“Dad!”

“Noctis, do not argue with me. Meldacio has been good to you, giving you plenty of things to do and learn as a child. You are grown now, son, and you need to start thinking like an adult. That includes learning how to deal with others of your station or higher. You can’t learn that out here.”

“But, Dad…”

“You’ll have a month to put your affairs in order, but you will be returning to Insomnia.”

~*~*~*~*~

Noctis slammed the door to his room open and then closed again, letting out a scream of frustration.

He couldn’t believe that his dad was going to make him go to Insomnia. He hated it there! They had gone a couple of years ago and it was just too crowded and noisy. All the people his age were so stuck up and only wanted to do boring things. Not that there was anything fun to do around Insomnia anyway. At least not people of ‘his station’ as his father called it. Open air markets and wooded parks were for the lower class. Upper class had gardens and servants to bring them things.

He screamed again.

There was a knock on the door. Before Noctis could say anything, it opened just a crack and he heard Drautos’s voice come through.

“Noctis? Is everything alright?”

He should have known his frustrated screams would garner the attention of someone; he just wished it hadn’t had been Drautos. This was the first time they had spoken since the incident with the necklace. Perhaps it was time to forgive.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just…Dad wants to send me to Insomnia.”

Drautos took that as an invitation to fully open the door and enter the room. “Why?”

“Apparently I need refinement,” he rolled his eyes.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Noct,” Drautos told him. “I’m also sorry about the whole thing with the necklace. I know I was just jealous of all the time you had been spending with Ignis and I lashed out and made things worse. I’ve been afraid to talk to you about it, because I didn’t want to make things even worse by doing so.”

“I’m sorry too,” Noctis sighed. “I think that I was so protective of what may have been Ignis’s only recollection of the human world. I dunno, it’s all dumb and pointless in the grand scheme of things.”

“It’s not pointless. I have to get going, but do you think we could meet for lunch one day soon? I’ve missed our talks.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“It’ll be okay, Noctis. You’ll see.”

“I hope so,” Noctis smiled. As he watched Drautos shut the door behind him, all those familiar, confused feelings resurfaced. He didn’t have time to ponder on them, however, as soon there was a knock of warning on the door before it opened to reveal Ignis and Luna.

“Was that Drautos I just saw leave?” Luna asked. “Have you guys made up?”

“I guess?” He didn’t get a chance to continue his thought as he took notice of Ignis. “Are you wearing glasses?”

“Yes. Can see better now,” Ignis grinned.

“Ravus noticed that he was a bit squinty whenever he tried to read something at a distance. Turns out, he needed glasses! Probably not many optometrists in the wilds.”

“Please tell me Ravus used the word ‘squinty.’”

Luna laughed. “You know better.”

“They look good,” Noctis told Ignis. Really good, but Noctis thought it might not be wise to say that. Especially with Luna in the room.

“Thank you. Are you okay?”

Leave it to Ignis to know that something was bothering him. Ignis always seemed to know and Noctis just chalked it up to all the animal influence he grew up with. Luna looked at him with concern; she had learned to trust Ignis’s instincts concerning Noctis.

“Dad’s sending me to Insomnia.”

“What?!” Luna cried. “Why?”

“I’m not learning how to be refined out there.”

“You don’t need to be refined to work out here. Who are you going to impress? The animals? Pretty sure they could care less,” she huffed. Noctis didn’t often see her mad, but when she was, he knew to watch out.

“I’m confused,” Ignis said, looking between the two.

With a sigh, Noctis looked at his friend, “Dad wants to send me to the city, far away from here. I don’t know how long he expects me to be gone for, but I imagine over a year.”

“But…”

“It sucks,” Luna supplied, patting Ignis on the shoulder. “Maybe we can figure out a way to convince Regis to let you stay. How long until you leave?”

“A month. But, hey, at least he made sure you and Ignis were friends so that Ignis wouldn’t be lonely.”

“How kind of him,” Luna muttered and Noctis couldn’t help but laugh.

~*~*~*~*~

A week passed and Noctis was no closer to convincing his father to let him stay than before. Ignis had grown sullen and Luna remained furious, but Noctis could do nothing.

He was walking the grounds of their home with Drautos: the soldier on patrol and the future lord doing basic inspections. Noctis had to admit that he was glad to be on speaking terms with Drautos again. The man had been in his life for so long that there was a hole when he wasn’t around. Not that it mattered as Noctis was going to be gone soon anyway.

“Noctis,” Drautos stopped suddenly, causing the younger man to look up at him.

“Hmm?”

Drautos seemed…nervous? Worried? Noctis couldn’t quite make out what emotion he was presenting at the moment.

“We’ve been through a lot together and I was devastated during the time we weren’t speaking. The thought of you being whisked away to Insomnia is almost more than I can bear. I know that you have always demurred against my advances, but…”

Noctis watched as Drautos pulled something from his pocket and then dropped to one knee. His eyes went wide. Surely Drautos wasn’t doing what he thought he was doing.

“Would you marry me?” He held out a ring towards Noctis and Noctis just stared.

Was Drautos seriously asking him to marry? Did he think he would say yes? Did he really? Of course, Drautos would have to stay in Meldacio as he was head of Regis’s guard. Noctis wouldn’t have to go to Insomnia if he were married to Drautos. That would mean he could stay in Meldacio and with Ignis. No, near Ignis. If he were married, he would have to move from his rooms or have Drautos move in. Ignis would not be welcome there. But they’d still see each other. Was a loveless marriage worth it if he could stay near the man he truly cared for? Even if that man never felt the same way?

The answer was yes. There was truly no reason to ask the question. Noctis would do anything to stay near Ignis. He’d lost him once. He wasn’t willing to lose him again, even if this was the answer.

“Yes,” Noctis finally voiced. “Yes.”

The smile on Drautos’s face was blinding. He slipped the ring on Noctis’s finger before standing and pulling the younger man into a hug. “You’ve made me so happy, Noctis. You honestly have no idea how happy. We should tell your father. Oh, I am just so happy!”

“Yeah,” Noctis said quietly, looking at the ring once Drautos let him go. “Me too.”


	14. Chapter 14

Ignis had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that the manor was a buzz with a lot of activity. He knew Noctis had become more withdrawn. And he knew that Luna knew no more than he did. That, at least, made him feel somewhat better.

He had been with her whenever she got an invitation to some big party and she had frowned upon reading it.

“What’s wrong?” Ignis asked.

“There’s no indication as to what this party is for. It’s all some big secret it seems.”

“That is odd?”

“Yes.” Luna looked at the invitation once more before tossing it aside. “I suppose it doesn’t matter; parties can be fun. You’ll come with myself and Ravus, won’t you?” Ignis must have looked confused because she quickly added, “Noctis will have specific duties with his father. He always does at these kinds of things. He’ll be busy greeting people for most of the night.”

“Ah. Then, yes, I will be happy to attend with you.”

Ignis would always love Luna’s smile.

~*~*~*~*~

The next oddity came when he was stopped by Drautos in the hall one afternoon. He’d just left Noctis, who had a meeting with Regis, and was returning to the room. Drautos was waiting by the door whenever he turned the corner. He hoped that he wasn’t frowning at the man, but he wasn’t sure he pulled it off.

Drautos smiled. It was the same smile that Ignis had seen sahagins give when they were trying to talk their way out of something. He didn’t trust it one bit.

“Ignis, I am glad to have caught you.”

“Drautos,” was all Ignis said, watching him warily.

The older man laughed. “Look, I get it. We started off on the wrong foot and I understand your mistrust for me. I’m hoping that we can start over. It seems that you will be staying here for quite some time and it would be much better if we got along. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I suppose,” Ignis answered, still very unsure.

“Walk with me?”

This man was someone in Noctis’s life and since it seemed that they had reconciled, Ignis knew that he should give him a chance. He nodded and then walked as Drautos led the way.

They went down halls that Ignis rarely visited. Noctis had brought him around during the initial tour, but as it was mostly where the guardsmen kept, there was no reason for Ignis to return. Drautos stopped in front of a door and pushed it open, allowing Ignis to walk inside first.

He immediately regretted it. This room held the heads of many of the animals of the Vesperpool. Trophies for a hunt well done, Ignis knew. It was terrible. All those creatures forced to spend the rest of eternity hanging on the wall like this. He didn’t wish that fate on anyone, not even the sahagins.

Pulling his eyes down from the walls, Ignis noticed that the room was full of various weapons. Swords and daggers; spears and shields; numerous things that seemed to be odd combinations of other weapons.

“This, Ignis, is the room of man. The room where we can display our mastery over the natural world. Nature bends to us because we have conquered her.”

“Yet the Vesperpool remains free,” Ignis couldn’t help saying. He was proud of his family and even his small role in keeping the humans away.

Drautos didn’t like to be reminded of that, it seemed. His face darkened briefly before he composed himself.

“Yes, well, one thing at a time. It is only a matter of time before we claim it as well. The whole reason we are this far away from the city is so that we can claim the last bits of land.”

Ignis hummed something noncommittal as he continued to look around the room. He stopped whenever he saw the dagger that he had taken from Aranea’s ruins.

“Ah, yes, I got that from you,” Drautos said. “I wanted to know more about it, as unique as it is.” He picked it up and handed it to Ignis. “I apologize for not returning it sooner. It is yours after all.”

“Thank you,” Ignis said cautiously as he took the dagger. He didn’t know what Drautos was up to, but it had to be something.

“I’ve learned that this dagger should have many siblings: other daggers and swords that are cut into the same chocobo motif. Legends say they were lost in the wilds centuries ago and haven’t been seen since, lost to myth. Yet, you have managed to get your hands on one. It’s remarkable.”

“Living in the wilds have allowed me certain benefits.”

Drautos chuckled, “You are getting your speaking lessons from Lunafreya I see.”

Ignis said nothing.

“Pardon my amusement, she and Ravus have always spoken so formally. It is odd this far away from proper civilization. At any rate, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to take me to the area you found this dagger.”

 _Ah_ , Ignis thought, _this was his plan all along._

“I’m sorry, but I cannot.”

“Ignis, please. You do not know the wealth of knowledge that can be gained from retrieving these artifacts. Scholars could learn so much.”

“No. This treasure brings only death. I was lucky to survive.”

Ignis didn’t miss the slight widening of the eyes when he mentioned the word treasure. He didn’t want knowledge. He wanted the riches that Aranea guarded. Nothing more.

“But you did survive. Surely you could do so again.”

“No,” Ignis repeated. “If you excuse me, I must meet with Luna for my lessons.”

Ignis turned on his heel and walked out. He didn’t miss the glare that Drautos shot him as he exited the room and he was very glad to get away.

~*~*~*~*~

The night of the party finally arrived. Ignis felt constricted in the clothes he had been given to wear. There were so many buttons and belts. The collar was high and the shoes unforgiving. How did humans wear these things? Until this evening, he had been allowed loose trousers and shirts and he was allowed to go around barefoot.

“Stop fidgeting,” Ravus muttered as they descended the stairs into the grand ballroom. A room, Luna had told Ignis, that was given the name ballroom only because it was the largest and so where they held parties.

“You’re doing fine,” Luna told him. She had her arm wrapped around Ignis’s and was doing her best to guide him the correct way.

The room itself was alight with color. There was color in the decorations and the gowns worn by the women. Even the men, who wore mostly black, had splashes of color here and there. Crystals hanging from the ceiling sparkled and whenever the music would pause, they could be heard chiming in the wind. Tables were filled with more food than Ignis had ever seen and there was a large section that stood empty of furniture so that couples could dance.

Ravus and Luna led them to where Regis and Noctis were welcoming the guests. Regis welcomed them warmly, but Noctis seemed sad. Luna made him promise her a dance later and when he went to shake Ignis’s hand, he didn’t meet Ignis’s eye.

“He seems more sullen than usual,” Ravus noted once they were away from the dais. “I wonder what that means for this celebration. Sister, we should make our rounds before the drink fully starts flowing.”

“Yes, you are right,” Luna said. She looked to Ignis. “Will you be okay on your own for a bit? We need to talk to a few people and it’s better to do so early.”

“I’ll be fine,” Ignis promised.

“Hey, it’ll be okay,” Luna said, placing a hand on his arm. He nodded, but said nothing.

Alone, Ignis wandered over to one of the buffets and looked at the food on display. There was a group of young people gathered, including one of the men Ignis had first met in the wilds all those months ago. Luche, he thought his name was.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the wildman,” Luche sneered. “He almost looks human. Enjoying the party, wildman?”

“Luche, don’t talk to it,” one of the women giggled.

“He probably doesn’t even understand us anyway,” another said. The whole group started laughing and Ignis just kept walking.

Whenever Ignis was in the company of Noctis and Luna, humanity didn’t seem too terrible. But truthfully, people were no better than animals. Perhaps even worse. As he walked around the party, hearing the comments of the people around him, he wondered how long it would be before he left humanity for good. If Noctis wasn’t here, he didn’t think he could stay. While he did love Luna and would be happy to visit, it was Noctis he wanted to be with. Maybe he would return to the wilds the day that Noctis left for the city.

“I would like to welcome you all!”

Ignis’s thoughts were cut off by the loud proclamation Regis. He looked towards the dais with all the others in attendance. The chatter quieted and the band stopped playing.

“I am so very glad that you all were able to join us on such short notice. I know I probably should have waited a little longer, but the news was just too wonderful to keep to myself.” Regis looked over at Noctis. Noctis was smiling, but Ignis knew it was a forced smile. It was nothing like the laughter and joy they shared when it was just the two of them. “I am so very pleased to announce that my son Noctis has accepted my fine general, Titus Drautos’s hand in marriage.”

A loud cheer and applause erupted from all around as Ignis watched Drautos walk up to Noctis and then put something on his finger. Drautos then gave Noctis a kiss on the hand before they both faced the applauding crowd.

He knew that Luna had stepped up next to him and without looking towards her, he asked, “What does this mean?”

“It means… It means they are together now.” Ignis looked at her, still confused, and he could see tears in her eyes. “It means they are mates.”

The next several minutes were a blur for Ignis. He felt himself drifting and the world around him was muffled. He couldn’t quite believe what Luna had told him and yet he knew she wouldn’t lie.

The world came back into focus when someone hit him hard in the left shoulder. It was the sinister man from the dungeons who had walked into him deliberately. Then his right shoulder was hit as Luche walked into him. He turned to face them as they grinned wickedly at him.

“Told ya, Tredd,” Luche laughed. “Told you he thought he could have the young lord. As if he could ever compete with the good general.”

“A wildman who thinks he can be human and win the heart of the next in line? Ridiculous,” Tredd joined in the laughter.

Ignis turned around to leave, but they grabbed him to make him stay. He fought against their grip, but in doing so, he lost balance and fell into one of the buffet tables causing much of the food to fall onto him. The room erupted in laughter and that was the final straw for Ignis. Humanity was evil and cruel. He should have never left the wilds. It was clumsy getting back to his feet, but he managed to do so and ran. He ran from the laughter and he ran from what he was certain was Luna yelling his name.

~*~*~*~*~

Noctis hadn’t seen what happened. He heard a crash and then laughter. Looking for the source, he saw Ignis lying in a mess of food. He watched as Ignis got up and ran. Noctis went to run after him, but Drautos grabbed his hand.

“Leave it.”

Noctis whipped his arm from Drautos’s grip and took off after Ignis.

“IGNIS!” he yelled once he had left the ballroom. He yelled it again once he got outside of the fort and saw his friend running towards the jungle. “IGNIS! Please!”

Thankfully, Ignis slowed down and came to a halt, allowing him to catch up.

“Ignis, I’m sorry,” Noctis said. It was all he could say. “I should have told you, but I didn’t know how.”

“You will be his mate?” The tone was accusatory and Noctis couldn’t blame him.

“Yes, but—”

“He is an awful man!”

“But it means I can stay! Dad won’t make me go if I marry Drautos.”

There was a noise behind him and both Ignis and Noctis turned to see Drautos coming out of the door and walk towards them.

“You think he will let you see me? He will keep you. It will be worse than if you were gone.”

“But…” No argument could be made. Noctis knew that. Noctis always knew that Drautos would keep him from Ignis, he just didn’t want to believe it. He wanted to believe that this man who had been in his life for so long, this man that he had looked up to, and claimed to love him…he wanted to believe that he would allow Noctis to remain friends with Ignis. But Drautos had always done everything he could to keep the two separated. Before their falling out, Drautos had often stopped Noctis in the hall to talk for ages so that his time with Ignis was shortened. He didn’t want Ignis to have the necklace back. Even now, he didn’t want Noctis to go to his friend who was clearly hurting.

“Please don’t go back to the wilds.” That was all Noctis could say as Drautos stepped up behind him.

“He doesn’t belong here,” Drautos said. “He is nothing but an animal.”

Before Noctis could object, Ignis said, “I’d rather be an animal than a man like you.” He turned and took off running again.

“Wait!” Noctis cried, but Drautos grabbed his wrist hard enough to bruise him to keep him from following.

“Let him go. He isn’t worth your time. We have an engagement party to return to.”

He stared where Ignis had disappeared. He wanted to run after him but he knew that Ignis wouldn’t listen. He knew that he couldn’t delude himself any longer in thinking that he would get to stay with Ignis if he married Drautos and remained in Meldacio. He yanked his wrist from Drautos’s grip for the second time that night. He pulled the ring from his finger and pushed it into Drautos’s hand.

“No. There is no engagement party to return to because there is no engagement.”

Noctis stormed off. He wished he’d never accepted in the first place. He wished that his father hadn’t been so happy when they went to tell him. He wished that he had listened to his heart whenever it felt freer when Drautos took the ring back so they could keep the engagement a secret and he could place it on his finger at the party. He wished he would have said something to Ignis or Luna and allowed them to talk him out of it. But none of that could happen.

Now, he wished to leave Meldacio. Get away from Drautos and perhaps learn to be a better person in Insomnia. A person that might actually be worthy of Ignis one day.


	15. Chapter 15

A week had passed. Ignis and Noctis were both miserable. Ignis spent his days running with the pack, keeping an eye on the wilds. His nights were spent usually with Lily nuzzling him like a cub. Noctis spent his time packing for Insomnia and avoiding Drautos.

When it was time for Noctis to leave, his heart felt empty. He had only left Meldacio a couple of times but he always knew he’d return soon. He didn’t know when he’d be back or how things would change in his absence.

“I know I had said you should return to Insomnia but I find myself wishing you’d change your mind,” Regis said.

Noctis gave him a small smile. He appreciated that. “I can’t stay. Not right now. Not with everything so raw.”

“You can come home any time,” Regis told him and it was another statement he appreciated.

The ride to the nearest transit system was a little more than half a day’s journey. Regis was accompanying Noctis and Ravus was too. Luna had wanted to go, but she was needed in Meldacio and Ravus was going to pick up some supplies that had been ordered.

The first hour of the ride was quiet or with idle chatting between Ravus and Regis. Noctis stared out into the wilds, hoping beyond hope that Ignis would show up. A silly wish, but most wishes are.

A sudden noise cut through the calm of the wilds, startling the three in the carriage, the driver, and the pair of chocobos pulling the carriage. In a flash, masked men were riding up beside them on their own chocobos, grabbing the reins and pulling them to a halt. The driver was thrown to the side while another man climbed in the back. There was a scuffle that created confusion all around. Ravus was thrown from the carriage and the chocobos startled enough to take off at full speed, throwing everyone on the carriage off balance causing the man in the back with Noctis to fall on top of Regis and cutting him deep with the knife he had been holding.

The new driver managed to get the chocobos under control when something stepped in front of them on the road. Noctis was doing everything he could to stop the bleeding and couldn’t be bothered as to why the chocobos had stopped. He was in too much of a panic. The driver was yelling and the man who was in the back with them stood. It was only when he heard a familiar crow, one that he knew was ‘Noctis’ in the wild language, did Noctis look over. He did so just in time to watch as the man in the back shot the cockatrice standing in the middle of the road.

“PROMPTO!” Noctis screamed as his friend collapsed just to the side and the driver flicked the reins and started the chocobos running again.

~*~*~*~*~

The pack had been following the men that had entered the wilds. These men were known for disturbing the balance of nature and they were ready to deliver justice. There were a few groups that split off, so Clarus did the same with the pack. Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto had been following a couple who were on foot when two others on chocobos ran by. Prompto had taken off after them, unaware of who they were, while Ignis and Gladio remained behind.

“I don’t like this,” Gladio growled as they followed. “What are they doing here? It’s like they are looking for something.”

Ignis had no answers. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have been able to. At that moment a gunshot rang through the wilds, causing everyone to stop dead. Man and beast alike looked in the direction the sound had come from and waited for some indication as to what might be behind it.

When the sound of wilds returned, it was a cacophony of animals saying Prompto had been shot. Gladio yelled for Ignis to get on and Gladio’s fast legs got them to their hurt brother.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Ignis repeated as they arrived at Prompto’s side. “Prom, no.”

“Noct…in trouble,” the cockatrice wheezed.

“Shh, shh,” Ignis told him, rubbing his head and trying desperately to think of what to do. Gladio looked at him as if surprised he didn’t take off at that bit of news. “Not until we’ve got Prompto help.”

“How do we help him?” Gladio asked. He was worried in a way that Ignis had never seen before. Not even when Iris had been cornered by the sahagins. Then he knew what he could do but this left them all feeling hopeless.

“You’re doctor friend,” came a voice from above. They looked up to see Wedge fluttering above them. “He’s not far.”

“Go, I’ll stay here,” Gladio said and Ignis took off after Wedge.

“Ravus!”

The man was surrounded by Nyx, Crowe, and Libertus; backed into a tree. His usually put together self was gone: hair tangled with branches and leaves, clothing disheveled, and everything covered in dirt. All four looked to Ignis as he ran up.

“Ignis,” he gave a small plea, looking back to the havocfangs.

“It’s okay,” Ignis told Nyx. The three stopped growling, but they didn’t stand down. He asked Ravus, “Are you okay?”

“I believe so. Some men hijacked the wagon and took off with Regis and Noctis. I don’t know why or where they went.”

Somehow, Ignis suspected he knew why. He would be the whole of Aranea’s treasure room that Drautos was behind this. “I will find them. Could you help my friend? Please?”

Ravus glanced at the havocfangs, who were still staring him down, and Ignis gathered Ravus knew his friend wouldn’t be human. “I will try. But, please, find them.”

“I will.”

~*~*~*~*~

The carriage continued on and Noctis thought he finally got his dad’s bleeding under control but now he had Prompto to worry about. Astrals, why did Prompto have to get involved? Why did they have to shoot him? Before he knew it, they were pulling to a halt in a small clearing.

As things calmed, Regis took some revenge and kicked the man in the back with them out. That man landed hard on the ground and at the feet of one Titus Drautos.

“Drautos! Thank the Six you are here! Apprehend these men at once!” Regis exclaimed as he tried to situate himself into a more comfortable position.

Drautos turned his gaze to the man at his feet. “I thought I said to only bring Noctis.” The man stuttered, trying to come up with any excuse, but Drautos just rolled his eyes.

Regis stared, open mouthed. “Drautos, what is the meaning of this?”

In response, Tredd and Luche stepped behind Drautos, both with sinister grins. Noctis felt his heart sink. Then Tredd came up to the carriage and forcibly pulled Noctis from it. He fought back, but once Luche got his hands on him as well, there was nothing more he could do but struggle. He wasn’t going to give up though, not until he had no energy left.

“What do you want with us?” Noctis snarled.

“He wants me to take him to treasure,” Ignis answered as he stepped into the clearing.

The smile on Drautos’s face was anything by pleasant. “Ah, yes, it seems the savage has some smarts in him.” He took two steps towards Ignis when a havocfang stepped out of the underbrush and next to Ignis. Gladio stared down Drautos hard and the traitorous man took a step back.

“I will take you, but you can’t hurt anyone else,” Ignis told him.

“Fine,” Drautos agreed. “Take us to this magnificent treasure and no one else will get hurt. Lead on.”

Ignis gave a curt nod before looking at Noctis for the first time. Noctis could see the pain in his eyes and he knew that Ignis had seen Prompto. He hoped that his presence and relative calmness meant that he had gotten Prompto help. Gods he hoped so.

“This way,” Ignis said as he walked past Drautos and towards the interior of the wilds. Noctis noticed that Gladio had slipped back into the brush. He had a feeling that more than one havocfang was watching them now and probably even a coeurl.


	16. Chapter 16

The Vesperpool was quiet as the small band made their way through. Occasionally, Ignis would catch a glimpse of Gladio or Nyx and felt comforted by their presence. The silence of the wilds was unnerving.

“I’m sorry,” Noctis said after some time. “I should have known better. I shouldn’t have agreed to marry Drautos. I should have talked with you about it instead of avoiding you.”

“I understand why and I am sorry as well. I shouldn’t have run.”

“No, Ignis, you had every right to, it was all my fault.”

“Noct, no, I—”

“Oh, shut up!” Luche snapped. “You love each other. We. Get. It. Now shut up and tell us where to go.”

Both stared at Luche, stunned. They then glanced at each other and Noctis blushed before turning his head and checking on Regis. Ignis gave directions but otherwise retreated into his mind.

Love.

Lily had talked about love in the several stories she told them. Ignis had already thought about love at first sight, but later dismissed it as he had recognized Noctis and that was why he felt the intense pull. Noctis was part of his past and that was why he felt the need to find him again. But then, he was always intensely jealous of Drautos. But, no, he just hated Drautos, knowing he was a bad man. He was jealous of Luna initially, but not after he got to know her. Not after he realized they were just good friends.

But, there was such a physical pain when Luna told him he was going to be Drautos’s mate. And being right here with him, despite the danger, made everything feel better. Noctis also blushed at the thought. Might he feel the same way?

He decided that Luche was right, at least about himself. He was in love with Noctis.

He glanced over at Noctis, who had been looking at him but quickly averted his eyes. Ignis smiled. Perhaps Luche was right about Noctis as well.

As the day moved on and Ignis directed Drautos where to go, the others in the group would catch the occasional glimpse of one of the pack. The man who had stabbed Regis, Loqi, eventually voiced his fears.

“Why do they watch us like that?”

“They’re hunting,” Ignis said, matter-of-factly.

“Well, tell them to go away!”

“A man speak to animals? Nonsense.”

Noctis failed to stifle a laugh which had Loqi turning on him with a glare.

As the afternoon started to turn to evening, Biggs flew overhead to tell Ignis to stop at the next clearing. When Ignis instructed Drautos to stop when they came into the clearing, the man was not happy.

“What’s the purpose of stopping? Take us to the treasure!”

Ignis narrowed his eyes. “We won’t make it before the next clearing. We stay here or get lost in the woods.”

Luche, Tredd, and Loqi seemed to think staying was the better idea but none were willing to voice it to the angry Drautos. It was the fifth member, the older gentleman who driven the cart and named Besithia that verbally agreed.

“The wilds are more dangerous at night. He won’t help us against the beasts so it would be best to heed his advice for now.

Drautos was furious but agreed.

Ignis, Noctis, and Regis were tied to trees while the others made a makeshift camp. While watching the men work, it was clear that Luche and Tredd had no idea what to do in the wilds and Drautos wasn’t much better. Besithia and Loqi were used to moving through the wilds and were the ones that took over everything, including stepping away for a little while and coming back with fish.

From what Ignis could glean from the conversations had, Besithia had lived in Meldacio his entire life. He was one of the men who would often go into the wilds for food and supplies. It seemed as if Besithia had been just a regular man for most of his life. Ignis wondered when he switched to poaching and exploiting the land. He was likely the one that told Drautos about Aranea’s treasure, just based on his knowledge of the area. That guess turned out to be true when Tredd asked about the legends of the forgotten temple and the treasures it held. Besithia was the only one with answers.

“How’s your father?” Ignis asked once the other men were lost in conversation.

“Okay, I guess? As good as can be? Astrals I wish we could just get him to Ravus.”

“I’ll be fine,” Regis muttered, wincing in pain as he tried to get comfortable.

“I know.”

The night continued on with the normally comforting sounds of the Vesperpool. Ignis was just about to doze off when a new sound ripped through the air. A sound he hadn’t heard in many years.

“What the bloody hell was that!?” Luche cried, standing, looking around the clearing.

“Ardyn” was the whispered response that was sounded by most of the group. Noctis looked pale, Regis more than he had been. Besithia just frowned and Loqi seemed nervous.

“I thought you said the behemoth wasn’t in these parts anymore,” Drautos rounded on Besithia.

“He hasn’t been in fifteen years!”

“What’s he doing back then?”

“How should I know?”

While the men bickered, Ignis looked to Noctis.

“I’ve got to leave,” he said.

“What? Why? No!”

“Shh,” Ignis quieted him, glancing at the others. “If Ardyn is back, it’ll do no good for us all to be together. Perhaps I can lead him away from you or reason with him.”

“He’s a behemoth!” Noctis exclaimed quietly. “How do you reason with that?!”

“I don’t know, but if I can keep you safe, that’s all that matters.”

“Ignis…”

“It’ll be okay, Noct,” Ignis smiled. “I’ll get you to the ruins and I’ll keep Ardyn away. Someone will always be nearby to help you should things go sour.”

Noctis frowned. “There is nothing I can say to stop you, is there?”

Ignis shook his head and said he’d wait until everyone was asleep before making his break.

Unfortunately, the threat of Ardyn kept everyone awake for a long time. It was almost daybreak before the last of them dozed off. With a quiet whistle, Cor hopped down from the trees. He inspected the tied ropes before beginning to gnaw on them. Ignis cheered him on, but only inside his head as he was afraid any sound might wake the already on-edge men.

Just as Cor managed to get the ropes frayed enough that Ignis could pull the rest with his own strength, Tredd woke up to see him. Ignis stumbled to his feet to run just as Tredd shouted for the others and took off.

Ignis was still in his territory and knew this area well. He aimed for a hidden bit of quicksand and ducked off the trail as soon as he spotted it. He quickly climbed a tree and hid as he watched Tredd run straight into liquid death trap. He watched as the man fell in and started panicking. Luche was the next to show up and he tried to get to Tredd. He stretched his arm out as far as he could, managed to hook his fingers for a brief moment before Tredd was pulled fully under.

Luche stared in shock while Ignis mentally checked off one of the kidnappers. Perhaps he should have felt sorry for the man, but he couldn’t find it in him to do so.

Seconds later, Drautos and Besithia were at the edge of the pocket of quicksand and then Loqi was pushing Noctis through.

“Tredd,” Luche managed to stutter.

Drautos stared at quicksand for a second and then said, “Well, we need to keep moving. Can’t let every little mishap cause us pause. Let’s go.”

“But…” Luche started but quieted instantly at the look of Drautos.

“Come on, let’s move!” Drautos said more forcefully as Luche and Besithia started moving and Loqi pushed Noctis passed the captain.

“Wait, my Dad! We can’t leave him, he’ll die!” Noctis yelled, trying to fight his way back to their camp but Luche had too good a grip on him.

“Everyone dies,” Drautos said as he turned to follow them.

Ignis sighed and leaned his head against the tree trunk for a moment. This was a lot, but other than a few deep breaths, he knew he didn’t have time to waste. He’d given Noctis basic instructions on how to get to the ruins and so Noctis could get them moving in the right direction while Ignis took a moment to go take care of something.

He hopped down from the tree and met Clarus, Gladio, and Cor.

“Nyx and the others are following Noct,” Gladio said. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Cor.”

“Yep.”

“Come, we have to help Noctis’s father, he’s injured and won’t survive long out here.”

Ignis lead the way to the clearing to see Regis trying to stand.

“Ignis, what happened? Where’s Noct?”

“They’ve gone on,” Ignis said. “I’ll catch up soon, but want to help you.”

“What?” Regis asked, disbelieving, but Ignis ignored him.

Looking at his family, he didn’t even have to ask the question, Clarus volunteered.

“I’ll take him back.” He gave a few barks and Iris had soon joined them. “Help protect your old man while he protects another?”

“Of course!” she responded.

Regis was very confused and Ignis couldn’t say he blamed him. It was time to get some explaining done.

“This is Clarus. He’s our leader and he’s taking you home. His daughter, Iris, will help too.”

“Oh, uh,” Regis stuttered but he didn’t voice in objections. Ignis helped him climb on top of Clarus and showed him the best place to hold on as well as some simple gestures so that they could communicate ‘okay,’ ‘slow down,’ and the like. Once Regis was settled, Ignis hopped on Gladio but before they could go their separate ways, Regis said, “Ignis, thank you. I’m sorry that I did not see you for the man you are but I know you will get Noctis home safely.”

“On my life,” Ignis said. With a nod to each other, Clarus and Iris headed back towards Meldacio while Gladio and Cor took off towards Aranea’s ruins.


	17. Chapter 17

Noctis was fuming. He tried and tried to pull away from whichever man had their grip on him, never managing to get away. He could not believe that Drautos would leave Regis like that. Regis who had been so good to the man! Was all this treasure really worth the life of an innocent man?

“Oh, please,” Drautos spat. “Regis wasn’t anyone special. He only got the position in Meldacio because everyone felt sorry for him and didn’t want to be around his mopey ass anymore.”

“Lies!” Noctis shouted, trying hard to get in Drautos’s face, but failing.

The others laughed and continued onwards. Noctis had told them what Ignis had said, “Follow the lake,” and so they first had to get to the lakeshore. It took about an hour after leaving camp. Noctis fought against them the whole way, not caring that he was just wearing himself out. However, when the first got to the open skies as land gave way to water, a daggerquill zipped by and dropped something right in front of Noctis.

Noctis stared before he bent down to pick it up. His father’s ring. Noctis looked up and saw the bird sitting in a nearby tree and recognized it as the one that always came to speak to Ignis in the mornings. He gave a nod in thanks, knowing that Biggs brought good tidings and that his father was safe. He stopped fighting his captors and the journey became easier on all.

As they trudged through the sludge of the Vesperpool’s swamping shoreline, Noctis couldn’t help but wonder where Ignis was. He assumed his friend was safe; otherwise Biggs or someone would have let him know. But where was he? When would he show up again.

A few minutes later, Noctis realized that Loqi had disappeared. Where had that man gone? Hopefully he had become breakfast for the local wildlife and he wouldn’t have to see that smug face ever again.

They continued onward. The ruins that Ignis had said the treasure was in would occasionally peak out from the canopy in front of them whenever the trees thinned enough to see more than ten feet in front of them. A small rock formation came into view and there was a scramble to climb it. There weren’t a lot of footholds in the smooth rock, but Drautos managed to get everyone up with minimal cursing and insults. They stood on it for a moment, catching their breath, and taking in the glory that was the ruins. They were still far off but this vantage point gave them the best view they’d yet had of it.

A shout and a splash caught their attention and everyone moved to look over the lake in hopes of seeing what was going on. It was Ignis and Loqi. Loqi had managed to catch Ignis off guard and pushing him into the shallows of the lake. From what Noctis could see, Ignis was having trouble getting his footing. Perhaps it was too slippery or he’d twisted something. Whatever it was, Ignis could do little more than roll out of the way of Loqi’s attacks.

Noctis screamed Ignis’s name and tried to run to him, but Drautos kept him in a tight grip.

Loqi finally managed to connect a hard kick to Ignis’s stomach, stunning the man into stillness as he tried to get his breath back. With the struggle over, Loqi had a chance to pull out a knife and was ready to gut the man.

He didn’t get the chance.

From out of the foliage came several havocfangs, hackles raised as they growled at the shocked Loqi. He was so focused on the four havocfangs, he never noticed the coeurl coming from his side. Cor was on him in a flash, teeth digging into his face as he pulled Loqi back into the woods screaming.

Noctis was glad he didn’t have to see the final blow, but they all knew when it happened because the Vesperpool was suddenly silent.

Drautos and Luche looked shocked. Besithia actually looked a little sad. After a moment, Noctis shrugged and started down the other side of the rocks.

“Come on, just a little mishap, right?” Noctis said and he slid down out of sight. He didn’t get but a few paces before the others had joined him. All were a little more subdued.

They stopped again when the whole of the ruins came into view. It was a sight to see and Noctis thought there was a beauty to it. Daggerquills were singing their songs and flying around, which seemed to annoy his captors. Noctis couldn’t help but smile at that.

The songs suddenly stopped but before anyone could question why, a roar tore through the forest. Ardyn had arrived.

Drautos grabbed Noctis’s wrist and pulled him towards the ruins. Noctis was certain that his wrist would be bruised before the end of it all and he hoped that his shoulder wouldn’t be dislocated with the next yank. He stumbled through the roots and stones that littered the swamp surrounding the ruins as he tried to keep up with Drautos. He didn’t dare look behind him, the yells and roars were terrible enough.

They had just reached the ruins when there was a sharp yell and then silence.

Drautos stopped and turned abruptly, staring across the swampy edge of the Vesperpool.

“LUCHE!?” he yelled, hoping for a response but knowing one wouldn’t come.

While Noctis couldn’t help but feel relieved that another of these evil men were gone, Drautos looked defeated. It seemed he’d actually liked Luche. Here Noctis thought that the man had no capability to like anyone but himself.

There was a call behind them, it sounded like the cry of an eagle. They turned to see a griffon standing proudly on the top of one of the buildings. Her tail was twitching as she eyed them. Without warning, she jumped down, disappearing into the ruins.

Neither of them moved. Not until Ignis came running around a corner.

“Aranea guards the treasure you desire. Follow her if you want it!”

Drautos looked ready to murder as Ignis ducked behind the building and out of sight again. Noctis was once again pulled along forcefully and once more found himself trying not to stumble of stones that had long since tumbled from the walls above.

It took some time to find a way into the ruins. Most doors were blocked and the windows were too small. Drautos’s frustration grew with each roadblock and even though Noctis repeatedly told him that he was hurting him, Drautos refused to let go of his wrist.

When they did make it in, they found nothing more than a maze of halls and rooms. There was no way to tell which direction they needed to go except for the occasional taunting call of the griffon or a daggerquill swooping by and leading them through the correct door. Eventually, however, Drautos had had enough and he stopped in the middle of a room. For the first time, he let go of Noctis’s wrist, allowing the young man to take a few steps away. He knew better than to try to run. Drautos was angry and he took the time to load his gun now that both hands were free; Noctis knew he’d be shot before he could get close to the door.

“What now?” Noctis asked, looking around the room. It was interesting with murals painted on the wall that had faded with time. There was also a trough that Noctis had noticed running through much of the ruins, but there was no treasure.

No answer was given, but a second later, the trough was alight with fire. Fire spread along the whole of the trough around the room and exiting through the doors.

“Brilliant,” Drautos muttered as he looked around. Noctis had to agree, but there was still no sign of a treasure.

The call of the griffon echoed through one of the doors and both men headed that direction. They had just entered the next room when they bumped into Ignis. Ignis leapt out of the way of a swinging sword but he wasn’t expecting a gun to be pulled out as well. Noctis watched as Drautos lined the shot and with a shout for Ignis to watch out, he rammed into Drautos. The shot went wide, but the two fell into a weakened wall that collapsed against their weight and they went tumbling down into darkness.


	18. Chapter 18

“NOCT!” Ignis cried as he watched the two disappear. Before he could move towards the broken wall, however, another bullet just barely missed him. He turned to see Besithia limping and angry.

“I will kill you savage!” Besithia screamed, firing another bullet.

Ignis ran around the various bits of broken ruins, trying desperately to get away from the crazed man and to get to Noctis. Besithia seemed to be able to predict his every move, though, as he was always just RIGHT THERE when Ignis turned a corner.

With no where else to go, Ignis dropped into a lower room that had a stone altar in the center of it. He hoped that Besithia hadn’t watched him come down as he ducked behind the altar, but that proved to be a useless hope. Besithia limped down the stairs and Ignis cursed.

Why didn’t that idiot Luche shoot him more thoroughly? When Ignis saw the frightened man load his gun and turn every which way looking for Ardyn, he knew that any movement would cause the man to fire. Ignis hoped he wouldn’t hit the behemoth and couldn’t believe his luck when Besithia came around a small clump of trees only to have Luche shoot him in the leg. Too bad it wasn’t such a serious injury that kept Besithia away. He should be with Noctis, not running from this madman.

“Come out you savage, you beast!” Besithia screamed. “You act like a man and yet you are too afraid to face your death like one!”

Ignis peaked up over the altar just enough to see where Besithia was in relation to the stairs, but the movement caught the man’s eye. A shot fired. Ignis ducked quick enough to avoid the bullet and it hit the wall behind him. What it hit was a medallion of sorts. The medallion shattered and a high volume of sand started pouring out.

Glancing around, Ignis saw that there was a number of these medallions lining the wall. Perhaps if could break some more, the sand will slow Besithia enough that he could get away and to Noctis. He glanced up again and saw that Besithia was nearing the wall with the sand coming out. Ignis grabbed at the closest medallion and was happy to find it came off pretty easily. He then ran for the stairs, pulling the medallions as he went and doing his best to dodge the extra shots fired by a screaming Besithia.

His plan worked. Ignis was at the stairs with little issue from the sand while Besithia was now trying hard to wade through it. Just as Ignis got to the top of the stairs, more medallions started falling off the walls and the sand came out faster and faster. When Besithia was waist deep in sand, the pillars on the four sides of the little, sunken room started to slide downward. Ignis watched as the pillars kept sinking and the sand kept rising. Soon, Besithia was buried alive and the sunken room was no more. Where the room had been was just part of the floor of the upper level now.

 _That’s four_ , Ignis thought. All that was left was Drautos.

~*~*~*~*~

By the time Ignis made it to the treasure room, Drautos was already picking up various bits of treasure. At first glance, Ignis couldn’t see Noctis and feared for his friend. But, as he snuck around the outer wall of the room, he glanced Noctis lying unconscious, likely due to the fall.

He didn’t get a chance to get more than a glance as Drautos rammed into him, knocking the breath out of him as he hit the floor.

“This is what you hide from the world? All of this treasure?” Drautos sneered. “You would take this for yourself and buy your way into the human world?”

“No,” Ignis wheezed. “I want nothing to do with this treasure.”

The captain leaned back to gain momentum for another blow, but Ignis managed to roll out of the way. He didn’t get very far when he heard the sound of metal scraping against something. It was the sound of a sword being pulled from its scabbard, which Ignis only realized a second later as he just barely missed being skewered by the sword.

The next swing Ignis was ready for. He pulled out the dagger he had originally brought from this place and managed to stop the sword from cutting into him. Drautos was surprised at the move and that allowed Ignis to push the man away so that he could get up and properly defend himself.

“If you didn’t want this treasure, you would have told me where it was.”

“And let you in my home, killing as you pleased? No.”

Drautos lunged, but Ignis sidestepped the attack.

“Yet here I am, on the cusp of being the richest man alive.”

“At what cost?” Ignis asked, backing away. He had noticed that the walls were now almost completely full of daggerquills. Aranea was sitting on her perch watching what was going on below, but saying nothing. The birds started muttering about movement and Ignis knew that Caligo would soon be on them.

Drautos decided to ignore him and Ignis turned to Noctis.

“This place is amazing,” Noctis said, staring around from where he had just sat up. Ignis held out his hand and pulled him to his feet. “We’ve got to take something with us.”

“No,” Ignis said. “This treasure is cursed.”

“But…”

“Noctis! You would go with him and live a life of poverty when you could stay with me? Look at all of this! Think of what we could do! The things we could buy! The world would be ours to command!”

Noctis stared at the man and then turned to Ignis. “Let’s go.”

Ignis smiled and led the way out of the treasure chamber. He paused long enough to look at Aranea.

“Don’t worry, he won’t leave this room. Go.”

“Thank you, Aranea.”

She smiled a devilish smile. “It’s been awhile since we’ve had such an idiot. This is going to be fun.”

Ignis decided it was time to go. He and Noctis worked their way through the ruins until the light of the late afternoon started peeking through the windows. Thankful to be rid of Drautos and his gang, all Ignis wanted to do was get Noctis home and see Prompto.

That plan came to an abrupt halt as they exited the ruins and found themselves face to face with the behemoth, Ardyn.

“So you are the man-cub,” Ardyn said, staring at Ignis as if he was staring into his soul.

“Yes.”

“Have you given up your home in the Vesperpool?”

“No. Of course not.”

“You are here with this human from the town,” Ardyn nodded slightly towards Noctis. “That tells me that you have given up your life here.”

“No,” Ignis said. Behind him, he knew that Noctis said something, and he heard what sounded like a chirp. “The Vesperpool is my home. My family lives here and I will continue to protect it for as long as I live.”

Ignis could have sworn he saw a little flash of light but he refused to take his eyes off Ardyn.

“And you will do so with this town human by your side?”

“Yes.”

They stared at each other for a long time and Ignis really could not tell if Ardyn was going to eat them or not. He’d never seen a behemoth before even if he knew all the stories about this one.

Finally, Ardyn chuckled. “Yes, little man-cub. I think you will protect the Vesperpool just fine. You have earned the trust of the havocfangs, the griffon, and the coeurl. It is up to you to keep this part of the wilds free of men like the ones that injured your cockatrice friend.”

“Prompto…” Ignis muttered involuntarily.

“He is fine and is waiting for your return.” Ignis’s shock must have shown on his face because Ardyn then said, “I have spies faster than any daggerquill. I always know what is going on in my wilds. So, should you ever need my assistance, just ask. I will come to your aid. And come visit the Myrlwood sometime. It’s a lovely place. You and your mate will like it.”

Before Ignis could blink, Ardyn crouched and then leapt over the building they had just exited and was gone. Ignis took a few steps back to see if he could see where the behemoth had landed, but he was nowhere in sight.

Looking back down at Noctis, Ignis saw the stunned look on his face. He wondered what the best way to explain what had just happened was, but Noctis took him by surprise by saying, “Ardyn thinks I’m your mate?”

“…what?”

“Ardyn…he just said you and your mate would like the Myrlwood. He thinks I’m your mate?”

“You…you understood him?” Ignis asked, completely taken aback. How could Noctis understand Ardyn?

“While you were talking to him, the… the… the fox thing, Carbuncle, showed up and like flashed me or something and I could suddenly understand him!”

Ignis stared and then started laughing. He didn’t know why it was so funny but somehow having Noctis being blessed by Carbuncle just in time to hear Ardyn call him Ignis’s mate just struck him as hilarious. It took several minutes to compose himself.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Ignis managed. “It’s just been a long few days, I think.”

“Yeah…yeah, so, um, can I be? Your mate?” Noctis asked tentatively. All Ignis did was smile when suddenly Noctis’s hands were on his face and he was pulled into Noctis’s waiting lips.

“Hey!” came a bark and the two split apart to see Gladio, Nyx, Crowe, Libertus, and Cor coming up to join them.

“You okay?” Nyx asked, coming over to check on Ignis like usual.

“Where are the other two men?” Gladio asked.

“In the ruins,” Ignis answered.

“Hopefully forever,” Noctis muttered.

“They won’t be leaving, Aranea will have seen to it,” Ignis promised. He then gave the others a quick rundown of everything that happened, his conversation with Ardyn, and the fact that Carbuncle had blessed Noctis as well. The havocfangs all seemed happy at the prospect of being able to talk with Noctis while Cor kept up his ‘this doesn’t mean I have to like him’ attitude.

“He likes you well enough,” Ignis whispered to Noctis as he helped get the younger man situated on Gladio before jumping on Nyx. Together, they ran through the Vesperpool wilds and made it to the bridge just as the sun was beginning to sink below the trees.

“IGNIS! NOCTIS! GLADIO!” Prompto’s cheerful voice greeted them as they crossed over. The little clearing next to the bridge was full of people, including Ravus, Luna, and Prompto. The cockatrice was so happy to see his friends that he danced in place as they crossed over only to be scolded by both Ravus and Luna.

“You’ll pull your stitches if you don’t stop!” Luna reprimanded, but only lightly.

Noctis ran to his father, who was being guarded by Clarus. The old havocfang seemed to have taken a liking to Regis and was happy to sit by his side as they waited for their sons to return. Ignis gave Prompto a great big hug, so happy to see his friend alive and well.

Prompto wanted to know everything, but stopped all tales immediately upon finding out that Noctis could now understand him. He fluttered around the young man singing happily, much to everyone’s amusement.

Eventually, everything returned to normal. The betrayal of Drautos, Luche, and Tredd was all that anyone could talk about for days. Noctis and Ignis didn’t elaborate on anything that anyone asked, insisting they were just happy to have gotten away from the men alive.

Years passed and the two were inseparable. Noctis eventually took over as lord of Meldacio and Ignis never shirked on his duties in keeping the wilds of the Vesperpool safe. With the two working together, both humans and creatures had nothing to fear from the other and the area thrived for many, many years.


End file.
